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Nov
11
Rivella Drinks
Filed Under Consumer Concerns, Food & Drinks, Health, Humor, Swissness
There’s simply no middle ground when it comes to Rivella, probably the Swiss national softdrink. Either you love it, or you don’t.
Being non-Swiss, I belong to the latter group. My Filipino taste buds, which are partial to cold water, iced tea, and Starbucks’ Rhumba Frappuccino, just can’t fully comprehend why the Swiss go gaga over this refreshment drink made of natural milk serum. I will never get used to the taste of Rivella in this lifetime or in the after-life — never, never, never — no matter what Rivella lovers may say.
So when I read from a recent Swissinfo report that Rivella will be pulled out from the US market at the end of the year “after a disappointing (sales) performance,” I was hardly surprised. I guess it takes authentic Swiss genes (for example, my husband’s) to appreciate this beverage that comes in three flavors — red (classic), blue (low-calorie), and green (with green tea extracts).
I did give Rivella a benefit of a doubt several times in the past, despite my initial dislike of the drink proudly served by different Swiss hosts from 2003 to 2004. God knows how much I tried my best to love the three color-coded Rivella flavors. But, unfortunately, my courageous efforts were all for naught. Let me be honest: this milk serum ingredient leaves a bad taste in the mouth — mine, literally. It tastes like…medicine. (Okay, Rivella fans, let’s agree to disagree in the name of world peace.) No wonder, Rivella was marketed in a supermarket chain in Florida as a “niche product” found in the healthfood section at a price four times more expensive than the more popular softdrinks Coke and Pepsi which, by the way, were never considered as rivals by the makers of Rivella.
Interestingly, the Anglo-Saxon taste buds seem closely akin to mine. When Rivella launched a multi-million-pound campaign to break into the UK market in 1999, it failed to make waves among the British consumers. It is said that the milk-derived product “disappeared quietly from the shelves of British supermarkets” a year after its fanfare-filled launch.
However, the drink is reportedly “very popular” in the Netherlands which generates nearly 90 per cent of Rivella’s foreign sales. This amounts to 15 million liters annually, according to Swissinfo.
This is good news to the Swiss who grew up with Rivella — which, by the way, has been the official drink of the Swiss Olympic team for a number of years now — and who will forever cherish this healthy thirst-quencher. The love affair between Rivella and its Swiss drinkers is therefore secure and solid. Till death do they part, milk serum and all.
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34 Responses to “Rivella Drinks”
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i fell off from my chair laughing the hell out of me..
“The love affair between Rivella and its Swiss drinkers is therefore secure and solid. Till death do they part, milk serum and all.”
I printed those words and left that on M table.. true!!!!
Anyway the first thing he does when he arrives at Zurich airport is look for shop and grab a rivella.
One day we were at the greek hospital and at the table I saw rivella… didnt take long to discover the nurse is Swiss.
Whoa.. the Swiss and their love affair of rivella.
I couldn’t agree more! My only explanation why we Swiss like Rivella is that we start drinking it long before knowing something about its ingredients. When I read years after my first Rivella that it was made of milk serum I was shocked. Fortunately, I was already a Rivella addict.
Very funny post!
hmmm, i love milk, but i don’t know if this one will be in my list. anyway, i wonder if the swiss people will enjoy our very own calamansi juice or buko juice, kasi ang mga koreans, they don’t like it…well, most of them don’t, dh loves to guzzle calamansi and buko.
hey jayred, have a happy weekend!
It’s going to be pulled out already? Haven’t even seen nor heard of it. Hehe
Well I tried it for the first time not knowing the ingredients as my Swiss friend told me to try it. I liked it. I mean I like it more than coke and it’s a change from Ice tea. Funny enough, why would I like the stuff? Maybe it’s because I don’t really like milk, but then again I love milk in europe.. Yes I’m strange and I’ve blogged about it too : Rivella
Sorry try this - Rivella
Well, another item you can add on your “not yet well integrated into Swiss society” list!
TO ALL: Thanks for your visit/comments.
SHA: It’s true, it’s true!
Naku, your M is like my hubby. I don’t know why they like Rivella so much. Of course, they’re Swiss! LOL.
CAK: You’re a Rivella addict? Oh no, you’re stuck.
I don’t blame you — you’re Swiss. LOL. Actually, I tried Rivella BEFORE I learned about the milk serum ingredient. When my husband explained it to me after my initial Rivella “complaint,” I then understood why it tastes, um, weird (forgive me).
ANNABANANA: My husband doesn’t like our buko (coconut) juice. I think he never tried our calamansi juice. Maybe he will not like it as well. I think you will not like Rivella, Anna. But then again, I may be wrong.
Actually, I tasted Rivella (red) BEFORE knowing its actual ingredients, as I mentioned to Swiss commenter CAK. I guess I’m just not a softdrink person in general. Although I drink Coke when I have stomach problems. (Thanks for the link. I will read your Rivella blog entry later.)
PATRICE: Hahaha! I’m sure you haven’t heard about Rivella there in Florida, Pat! LOL.
EXPAT TRAVELER: There can only be one explanation, Jen — you’re in love with Switzerland!
SIDNEY: Hahaha! I was just thinking about that. Maybe I should come up with another ‘non-integration’ list, the second edition.
Have a nice week, everyone!
Hi Jayred - interesting. I’d really like to taste Rivella and hope I can find it here in Toronto.
BW, really? I’m not sure if they sell it there in Canada. Anyway, if God will allow me to visit Canada someday, I’ll just send you some by post.
Hilarious.
Of course, I enjoyed Rivella thoroughly when I was in England around 1999.
Never once have I seen it in the US from 2001-2006. I wonder where it was sold. Anyone know any Swiss or Dutch stores that sell it online?
Gee, Andrew, I have no idea, being a non-Rivella fan. Why not try to contact the guys behind Swissmade.com?
For all us Swiss Ex-pats: Rivella, in all its (3) tasty flavors is available in the US again. To order it go to:
http://www.TheSwissBakery.com
There you’ll also find many other Swiss delights.
Enjoy… got to run, my Rivella is waiting…
Helmuth, thanks for this piece of info. I checked the site and this online shop does offer a lot of “Swiss delights.” Good news for Swiss expats in the US.
I have just returned from Switzerland, and I discovered Rivella … all three flavours, and I just love it …
Trying to find an outlet in the UK.
Fast going into withdrawal symptoms!!
Raymond, my Swiss husband will be happy to know that you love Rivella.
Have you found a Rivella outlet yet?
Personally, I like Rivella. I thought it was any old soft drink when I tried it…. a bit of a funky flavor, but not bad. Not until afterwards that I found out it was made out of milk whey, which I thought was odd. It seems entirely a Swiss though, leaving no part to waste. Too bad more Americans don’t enjoy it.
Arty, I’m beginning to like Rivella — Rivella green, that is. I even served Rivella to my guests last week! So this is some kind of breakthrough for me. You’re right: the making of Rivella is so Swiss.
Bob - Okay - some good news for you UK based Rivella lovers - I am aiming to bring the Red and Blue versions over to the UK in early August on a formalised basis and pushing it through some retailers - watch this (and other spaces)!
Any thoughts on Green by the way?
Bob Davies, that’s good news for Rivella lovers in the UK.
If you plan to target the Asian palates as well, then you just have to bring some Rivella Green drinks, too. I personally like it.
Let us know your future plans here. Thanks.
I agree the Green is good, but we may need to have that as a second phase while we get the UK to adopt the red and blue ones first. We’ll probably have a direct to consumers option in the near furure - keep an eye open for the website genorel.com in the next month or so as details will appear on how to get your fix!
Bob
Bob, thanks for the lead. All the best in your business venture. Rivella lovers in the UK will be delighted to know that they can avail of Red Rivella and Blue Rivella anytime soon. As for me, Coop is just nearby.
Hi
Married to a Swiss Lady with a daughter missing her Rivella. I have been following the posts with great interest. Is there any information when Rivella will hit the shelves again (Waitrose did try a few years back) in the UK.
Regards Peter (Middlesex)
Peter
Good news…we are almost ready to start to sell the Blue and Red Bottles in the UK! We have an ad in the Swiss review coming out on the 26th Sept and you’ll be able to order online through the Genorel website in the next 3 weeks! Intitially we’ll be selling in cases of 24 x 500ml bottles, but as we get more sophisticated and have more feedback we may sell in smaller cases of 6 or 12…tell your wife the wait is almost over!
And to clarify - we can only service UK based customers…sorry!
Regards,
Bob
Peter, thanks for the comment. I could just imagine how your daugher misses her Rivella fix. Glad to know that “the wait is almost over” according to Bob who reported here in the comment thread that he is bringing Rivella Red and Rivella Blue over there in the UK.
Bob, thanks for replying to Peter’s question. I was about to give him your contact info, but you beat me to it. Let us know about any progress regarding the Rivella comeback in the UK. Any link to the website? I plan to write another X-Pat Files blog post on Rivella sometime soon. So, any helpful info from your end will help. Thanks.
Dear Bob and Jayred
Wonderful news. We will look out for the ad. In fact my daughter is on a mini holiday in Switzerland next week and no doubt will be drinking Rivella all week. Her next problem is Gala cheese. This is not available in UK. So my daughter will be stocking up at the Coop. I will be joining her for some shopping at the end of the week. My wife is a bit poorly so I’m leaving her behind. My shopping list includes aromat (expensive in the UK) mustard, parfait, cheese. Here in the UK it is now possible to get Swiss ‘type’ food at Aldi & Lidl. Also we have a couple of new Polish shops locally selling unusual Knorr soups & boiled ham. All this talk of food makes me hungry - I better sign off.
Kindest Regards
Peter
Peter, that’s indeed wonderful news! I’m sure you and your daughter will have fun stocking up at Coop (and how about Migros?). You mentioned Gala cheese. I also like that one although I’m not really a cheese person. I also like Aromat and all those Maggi food tech packs. Maybe you guys should also buy Caotina and some good ol’ Sindroga tea. Lots of options! I wish you both well in your Swiss food shopping spree. And I hope you’ll be able to buy Rivella Red and Rivella Blue in your area on a regular basis sometime soon. Good thing you have Bob as the messenger of good news. Thanks for sharing some info here. Very interesting.
Just to let you know my daughter rang from Zurich to say she arrived safely and already purchased a bottle of Rivella. I wonder if there is a Swiss organisation dealing with the addiction to Rivella. Thanks for the options.
“I wonder if there is a Swiss organisation dealing with the addiction to Rivella.”
LOL. Maybe you can create one, Peter.
Good that your daughter is finally reunited with Rivella.
To all Rivella drinkers living abroad:
Rivella can now now be purchased online via Swissmade.com.
I spent a fun-filled 15months in Zurich and have returned several times since. The first thing I do at the airport/train station/customs, is look for the kiosk machine and get my fix of Rivella rot !
I fell in love with Rivella for the taste, the amazing hangover remedy properties and the “swissi-ness” about it…..
Hopefully someday a Migros will replace my local Tesco Express, and once again I can enjoy my glass of Rivella with blood sausage and chips - truly an autumn meal to cherish….
Swiss Tony, so you’re another Rivella fan. The comments of Rivella drinkers here are beginning to amaze me.
Dear all,
http://www.genorel.com
If you are UK based you can order your Rivella by the case here (24 bottles 500ml) -online and delivered via Parcel Force!
The more you buy the cheaper the delivery!
Hope you enjoy!
p.s. We are also in early discussions with Ramseier, so keep you eyes open on our website!
p.p.s. I agree, there needs to be a support group for Rivella lovers!
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