Kofola

Kofola () is a carbonated soft drink produced by the eponymous Czech company, which is headquartered in Krnov. It is the principal rival of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in Czechia and Slovakia. The company is one of the leading soft drink producers and distributors in Central and Eastern Europe.

==History== thumb|160px|A glass and a bottle of Kofola Kofola originated in the Czechoslovak Research Institute of Medicinal Plants in Prague in 1959, during research targeted at finding a possible use for surplus caffeine produced in the process of coffee roasting. The resulting dark-coloured, sweet-and-sour syrup Kofo became the main ingredient of a new soft drink named Kofola, introduced in 1960. During the 1960s and 1970s, Kofola became exceedingly popular in communist Czechoslovakia, successfully competing with Western cola drinks like Coca-Cola or Pepsi, which were generally available after 1968 (Pepsi in 1974), but were expensive and considered as for high society. Even today, Kofola is a popular option in restaurants as it can be draught-poured from kegs right into a glass.