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(Redirected from John Noel Nichols) British soft drink

Vimto
2021 logo on a grey background
A glass of Vimto
TypeSoft drink
ManufacturerNichols plc
DistributorCabana
Country of origin England
Region of originManchester
Introduced1908; 116 years ago (1908)
ColourPurple
FlavourMixed fruits
Websitevimto.co.uk

Vimto is a British mixed fruit soft drink containing the juice of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants, flavoured with herbs and spices. Originating in Manchester, northern England, it was first manufactured as a health tonic in cordial form then decades later as a carbonated drink, and the recipe was invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols of Blackburn. Produced domestically by Nichols plc, it is available in cans and bottles in carbonated, still, cordial (squash), and energy forms and it has also been made into a sweet, ice lolly and other items. Vimto is traditionally most popular in the north of England and is also sold globally under license, and enjoys high popularity in the Persian Gulf countries and in The Gambia and Senegal.

History

Vimto was created in 1908 in Manchester by John Noel Nichols (1883–1966), a wholesaler of herbs, spices and medicines. He saw the market opening for soft drinks due to the temperance movement and the passage of the Licensing Act 1904. It was originally sold under the name Vim Tonic, which Nichols shortened to 'Vimto' in 1912. Vimto was originally registered as a health tonic or medicine, which was then re-registered in 1913 as a cordial.

In 1910, production moved to a warehouse at Chapel Street, Salford, then to Old Trafford in 1927, and in 1971, to a state-of-the-art plant in Wythenshawe, Manchester. In 1999, the company's head office moved to Newton-le-Willows in St Helens, Merseyside.

From the 1990s to 2003, Vimto print advertisements used the cartoon character Purple Ronnie, along with slightly rude poems by Giles Andreae, the creator of Purple Ronnie. In 2003, Purple Ronnie was dropped, and a new creative direction was adopted, revolving around the benefits of 'Shlurpling the Purple'. This, in turn, led to the launch in 2006 of Billy and his Dad's Pants–a modern-day morality story in which, despite turning up at the swimming pool with his Dad's pants in the middle of his rolled-up towel, Billy wins out with ingenuity and humour. The theme tune 'Dad's Pants' become something of a cult classic, and was based on the Loudon Wainwright III song "Dead Skunk".

Vimto monument on Granby Row at the University of Manchester

An oak sculpture entitled "A Monument to Vimto" was created by Kerry Morrison and installed on Granby Row–the location of the original Vimto premises–in central Manchester in 1992. The statue was restored and repainted in 2011.

In 2021 Vimto introduced a new logo design across the range.

Manufacture

Vimto is currently produced by Refresco (formerly Cott Corporation) in both Leicestershire and Lancashire on behalf of Vimto Soft Drinks, a division of Nichols plc. Nichols moved out of manufacturing in 2003 when it closed its final production site in Golborne.

Vimto is also manufactured under licence in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, The Gambia, and Ghana. A Sunday Times article in 2007 claimed it to be the most popular drink during the holy month of Ramadan in some Arab countries.

The drink was also made under licence in the United Kingdom by A.G. Barr in 1996.

In 2014, the recipe for Fizzy Vimto was changed to include artificial sweeteners, Acesulfame K and Sucralose.

Ellis Wilkinson Mineral Water facilitated the production of drinks for Vimto in their early days of trading.

Company

A subsidiary of Nichols plc, Cabana is the distribution arm of the company, and operates via a UK-wide network of distributors that are, in the main, independent. In Scotland and Sussex, the distributor is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cabana (Scotland–Cariel, and Sussex–Beacon Drinks now closed).

Vimto is currently available in 65 countries and the number of countries in which it is on sale is growing.

Variations (UK market)

Vimto still bottles for sale in 2016
Fizzy Vimto can, circa 2011

Both a still, dilutable version ("Vimto Cordial") and a carbonated premixed version ("Fizzy Vimto") are available in the UK. While Vimto has its origins in Northern England, it can now be found both nationally and internationally. The cordial version is more widely sold and is available in concentrate and ready-to-drink varieties. The cordial version was widely known for being suitable for vegans until Vimto decided to add vitamin D derived from sheep's wool in April 2021.

Vimto is also available in a slush variety alongside many other different Vimto confectionery products, such as Vimto bars, lollipops, Rip Rolls, candy sprays, and Jelly Babies.

Vimto is also available in the form of an energy drink, Vimto Energy, made with natural caffeine and real fruit juice.

Vimto is also available in a summer flavour, containing ingredients such as orange and apple, both of which are cordial products. Vimto was the UK's fastest-growing soft drinks brand by value in 2006 (as measured by Nielsen Corporation).

An alcoholic cocktail known as the Cheeky Vimto or "Crazy Vimto" is also drunk in the UK. However, Vimto is not an ingredient of this beverage, and the name comes from its resemblance to the original product; instead, it contains port and Blue WKD. There is also a variant of this cocktail called "Dirty Vimto" that replaces the port with Buckfast Tonic Wine.

Vimto flavoured chewy sweets

Vimto is also often made as a hot beverage by simply adding boiling water to the concentrate, and is popular in this form throughout the north of England. Vimto is often made with hot water, especially during the winter months. It is also taken to sporting events in vacuum flasks by spectators as a warming drink to fend off the winter chill.

Various alternate-flavoured variants of Vimto were introduced over the years; cherry- and strawberry-flavoured variants, known as "Cherry Vimto" and "Strawberry Vimto", have become part of the range. In 2016, a new variant, "Vimto Remix", was introduced. This range consists of various alternate flavour mixes that were introduced each year – mango, strawberry and pineapple in 2016, raspberry, orange, and passionfruit in 2017, watermelon, strawberry, and peach in 2018 and strawberry, orange and lime in 2019. The "Remix" name was eventually dropped after the drink was rebranded in 2021, while new flavour mixes continue to be introduced.

Homemade variations include a Vimto Milkshake made by adding milk instead of water to the cordial, and a Vimto Milkshake Special involving the same with vanilla ice-cream added.

In June 2023, Vimto launched an energy drink, called Vimto Energy. It is currently available as a normal version with sugar and a sugar free (zero) version.

Foreign markets

Glass bottles of Vimto for sale in the UAE

In the Arabian Peninsula, Vimto has had over 80 years of dominance as the beverage of choice for the iftar or sunset feast during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan. As of 2013, Aujan, the local bottler in Saudi Arabia, has been producing over 20 million bottles per year for the GCC market.

An article in The Sunday Times mentioned some 15 million bottles were sold during the one-month season in 2007.

a bottle of Vimto with a straw placed on a table near a swimming pool on a sunny day
A bottled Vimto produced locally for the Gambian market

In Saudi Arabia, Vimto is manufactured under licence by the Aujan Industrial Company and has a 90% market share in the cordial concentrated drinks market. Every year, the company launches aggressive marketing campaigns on Arab satellite TV channels that in recent years have become very popular, and achieved cult status with viral marketing videos exchanged on the Internet.

Vimto was introduced in India in 1924 during the colonial period. Vimto was introduced to The Gambia and Senegal in the 1980s, where it remains popular.

In 2011, Vimto once again became widely available throughout the Republic of Ireland, through Tesco and the local version of Iceland shops.

In Pakistan, Vimto is produced under licence by Mehran Bottlers.

In Nepal, Vimto is manufactured under licence by Himganga Beverage Pvt Ltd.

In Cyprus, Vimto is manufactured under license by Kean.

In Ghana, Vimto is manufactured under licence by Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Ltd.

Logos

  • A variant of the vintage Vimto logo that was used earlier in the 20th century A variant of the vintage Vimto logo that was used earlier in the 20th century
  • Vintage Vimto logo that was used until the 1980s Vintage Vimto logo that was used until the 1980s
  • Older Vimto logo until 2014 (in Britain) Older Vimto logo until 2014 (in Britain)
  • Current logo since 2021 (in Britain) Current logo since 2021 (in Britain)
  • Current Vimto logo for the Arab market Current Vimto logo for the Arab market
  • Old style Vimto logo still produced on some products internationally Old style Vimto logo still produced on some products internationally

2024 product recall

On 5 April 2024, Nichols plc recalled 500ml bottles of Vimto due to a packaging error.

The bottle stated there was no added sugar, but the bottle contains sugar.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The centre of a purple world". BBC Manchester. 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  2. "Vimto Range". Vimto. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. "Southern converts provide Vimto boost". 20 May 2024. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  4. "Vimto hits purple patch in the Gulf". BBC News. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  5. Brown, Ben (22 September 2020). "Purple Ronnie & How Vimto Took Over The World". Manchester’s Finest. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  6. "Famous Vimto monument gets a makeover". Manchester.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015..
  7. "Brewery History: 118, pp. 26-40". www.breweryhistory.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. "History". Vimto.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018..
  9. "The Vimto Archive". Hatads.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. "Everyone's singing about dad's pants". Manchester Evening News. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  11. "Manchester Statues & Monuments". Papillon Graphics' Virtual Encyclopaedia of Greater Manchester. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. Cronin, Éilis (20 January 2021). "Vimto unveils new logo design". Talking Retail. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  13. Dawson, Abbie (20 January 2021). "Vimto pays tribute to heritage with brand revamp". The Grocer. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  14. "Our history | Refresco". Refresco.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  15. "celebrating a hundred years in the life of..." Wigan Today. Johnston Publishing. 29 May 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  16. Hashash, Sara (14 October 2007). "Vimto peps up Ramadan faithful". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  17. "competitions". Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  18. "Is Vimto Suitable For Vegetarians and Vegans?". vimto.co.uk. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  19. "Vimto goes hot!". Talkingretail.com. 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  20. "Vimto Energy". Vimto. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  21. "Vimto Energy Drinks". Vimto. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  22. Atkinson, Simon (26 July 2013). "Vimto hits purple patch in the Gulf". BBC Magazine. London. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  23. Hashash, Sara (14 October 2007). "Vimto peps up Ramadan faithful". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  24. "AME Info: Middle East & Gulf News". Ameinfo.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  25. "Vimto's Heritage | Our Journey Since 1908 So Far". Vimto. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  27. "Mehran Bottlers Ltd: A taste of Pakistan". Littlegate Publishing. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  28. "Vimto - Kean".
  29. "Ghana: Coca-Cola Launches Vimto Soft Drink in Kumasi". Allafrica.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  30. "Product Recall Notice - Vimto".

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