Fanta was created in Germany during World War II because Coca-Cola syrup supplies were restricted.
When wartime trade restrictions made it impossible for Coca-Cola’s German operation to obtain the company’s standard syrup, local managers developed a substitute drink from available ingredients. The first Fanta used ingredients such as whey and apple-fiber residue, although its formula differed greatly from the modern orange-flavored product.
The name Fanta was selected from the German word Fantasie, meaning imagination, after employees were encouraged to think creatively about a replacement beverage. The wartime drink allowed Coca-Cola’s German business to continue operating independently of imported syrup.
Modern Fanta is often assumed to have begun as an orange soda in the United States. Its brand history actually starts in Germany in 1940, while the familiar orange formulation and worldwide expansion came later.