Coca-Cola was not always the empire we know. Its mythical origin as a simple tonic in a pharmacy shows that the world of brands is inscrutable, and therefore, who knows what can happen with Plim de Reus, the Catalan coca-cola that was born more than a century ago in Catalonia and is now reborn ready for anything.
It was in 1929 when Plim, a sweet fruit soft drink, became one of the most iconic beverages in Reus. Its history, however, seemed to have been left behind when it ceased production a decade ago. But now it is back.
What Catalan coca-cola tastes like
Plim de Reis is being brought back to life by two local entrepreneurs who, with the approval of the brand’s original owner, Matias Olesti, have decided to bring the mythical brew back to life. The drink has a long history. It was produced from 1929 until 2014, always as a popular drink in Reus and surroundings. In fact, the Plim is part of the cocktail typical of Reus’ festivities, the “masclet”, which mixes Plim and Vermut de Reus in equal parts.
Due to legal disagreements, the soft drink had not been produced since 2014, but now Gerard and Óscar have decided to relaunch it together with Matías Olasti, the owner of the drink. To do so, they have tweaked the formula by eliminating sugar and have redrawn the look of the brand to modernize it.
Nothing else, the rest of the ingredients of this drink, 100% Catalan, are the same: lemon juice (now organic), gas, water from the Pyrenees and aromas of half a dozen different fruits.
At the moment it has launched 30,000 units that are distributed by Reus and online, waiting to reach Barcelona.
In Reus you can already see shop windows announcing the return of Plim, so if you want to try what it tastes like the Catalan coca-cola born more than 100 years ago, you know where to look.