RC Cola: the American cola that invented everything — and that no one in Europe knows yet!

Coca-Cola. Pepsi. And then... RC Cola. The third best-selling cola in the US is also the least known in Europe — and that's a real shame, because its story is fascinating. Founded in 1905 in Columbus, Georgia, by a pharmacist angry at Coca-Cola, RC Cola racked up the innovations: first aluminum can, first diet cola, first caffeine-free cola. The independent that dared to defy the giants for over a century! My American Market imports it to you straight from the States.

Did you know RC Cola was born from a dispute with Coca-Cola?

The RC Cola story begins in 1905 in the basement of a grocery store in Columbus, Georgia. Claud Hatcher, the family pharmacist, bought large quantities of Coca-Cola syrup for his grocery. He asked for a volume discount from the local rep — a certain Columbus Roberts. Flat refusal. Hatcher, furious, vowed never to buy another liter of Coca-Cola... and got to work in his basement to create his own recipe. The first product of the Royal Crown range was a ginger ale, followed by a strawberry and a root beer. In 1934, chemist Rufus Kamm perfected the formula and launched Royal Crown Cola — the definitive recipe that still drives RC Cola's success today.

And yet, RC Cola is far from a timid brand! In 1954, RC Cola was the first brand to distribute its sodas in aluminum cans on a national scale. In 1958, it launched Diet Rite — the first diet cola in history, 4 years before Coca's Diet Coke. In 1980, RC 100 became the first caffeine-free cola. So many innovations the giants Coca and Pepsi would rush to copy. RC Cola, the original independent cola since 1905!

And the RC Cola + Moon Pie combo — do you know it?

In the American South, there's a combo as cult as coffee-and-croissant in France: RC Cola + Moon Pie. In the 50s, this duo was nicknamed "the working man's lunch." For 10 cents total, a worker could treat himself to a can of RC and a Moon Pie (a marshmallow biscuit coated in chocolate) on his break. This combo even inspired a country song that became a cult classic in the American South! Today, RC Cola belongs to Keurig Dr Pepper and remains the 3rd-largest soda maker in the US.

What does RC Cola taste like?

RC Cola is a cola with a taste slightly different from Coca and Pepsi — softer, less acidic, with a well-present carbonation. Fans swear it's the best cola there is, and many blind tests prove them right. The formula with cane sugar and Ethiopian cola nuts gives it that singularity the aficionados love. Once you've tasted it, you understand why RC has held on for 120 years against the two giants!

Where to buy RC Cola in Europe?

RC Cola is totally impossible to find in regular European stores. My American Market, the hunter of American pop food, imports it to you straight from Georgia. Express delivery!

Into American colas? Check out Pepsi, Crush and Poppi in our shop too!

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