For many Austrians the mere sight of the logo is enough to uncork a million childhood memories. Some will grow misty-eyed at the thought of the slender half-liter container in brown glass, others will remember releasing the bubbles from the smaller, curvier green bottle. Either way, their favourite childhood tipple is celebrating its hundredth birthday this year Schartner Bombe.
Not every lemonade can claim to be sourced from a mineral spring, but that is this beverage’s proud boast: the spring water had healing properties and had found use in a spa resort, but it wasn’t as popular for drinking as it originally had a rather particular flavour. Otto Burger hit upon the notion of mixing the water with a fruit cordial made by a local firm, and the end result was a hit and the Schartner Bombe was born.
The 1960s were a bit of a rollercoaster, with a second change of ownership, a relocation of the production facilities and expansion of the brand. The Schartner Bombe was also no longer permitted to style itself a ‘mineral water lemonade’ as spring water has to be bottled at the source; and this was no longer the case after the move. The setback caused a decline in neither the thirst of its legion of fans nor the success of the brand, however Quite the contrary: what at the time was the largest bottling plant in the world was built, with an annual capacity of 40 million bottles. The investment may have been a bridge too far, however, and a second round of turbulent times set in.
Things began to settle down a bit for the lemonade in the mid-1990s when Starzinger, a family-run firm from Austria, took over the cult Schartner Bombe brand and revived its former glories. Since such times, loyal fans have been reaching for a green bottle of immediately familiar dimensions: 16.5 cm high, 6.5 cm across, and containing exactly a quarter of a litre of classic flavour in either orange or lemon.
Starzinger itself has a long history in the drinks industry, and this is another reason to celebrate: the family firm has been producing top-quality beverages such as mineral water, lemonades, energy drinks, fruit juices and beer for 120 years and is also considered one of the most efficient and successful bottling companies in the world.
So cheers to both and we wish them every success and a sparkling future!
