Celebrating 70 Years of  Sumol

Sumol is part of daily life for millions across Portugal. The famous carbonated orange drink has been a firm favourite during the past 70 years. Whether you keep it in the fridge at home or order it out, Sumol is the go-to refreshment on an Algarvian hot sunny day. Celebrating its 70th year, let’s take a look at how a small company produced the nation’s favourite fruit drink.

The Sumol story dates back to 1945 when a group of friends clubbed together to open a small carbonated drinks factory in the village of Algés in the municipality of Oeiras. Refrigor Lda opened its doors with only 100,000 escudos in its wallet (equivalent to just €500 in today’s currency). While the new venture was doing well for its owners, it was only a small local enterprise. Little did they know it would become a nationwide brand within five years. 

Sumol presented to the public at the terrace of the Caravela D’Ouro café in Algés, summer 1954

António João Eusébio joined the group in 1950 as a new partner, but his ambitions went further than simply serving the people of Algés. His entrepreneurial attitude and innovation led to the creation of Sumol Laranja, a pasteurised fruit juice that would become the first of its kind in Portugal because it was made from natural oranges without dyes or preservatives. The new drink was presented to the public in 1954 in a 0.25L glass bottle. While it was still only available to people of Algés via the D’Ouro cafe in the village centre, it wasn’t long before this new invention would take the country by storm, filling the shelves of cafes, bars, restaurants and supermarkets. Sumol Laranja offered a refreshing taste during the Portuguese summer, or any time of the year for that matter.

The Sumol brand was registered on 20 December 1954 and was so successful that in 1958, Sumol Ananás was launched – the pineapple cousin to the trusty Sumol orange. The new flavour went down well with Sumol customers, especially during the summer months. The two drinks enhanced the company’s branding, which is still defined by the colour of their bottle caps: orange for the orange flavour and green for its pineapple counterpart. Sumol became the first non-alcoholic Portuguese drink to adopt a modern marketing strategy – and it worked! Sumol took its advertising to the next level, creating catchy phrases like “A cat is a cat, a dog is a dog. Sumol is what the others are not.“While Sumol enjoyed nationwide popularity, imitation products didn’t take long to appear. By the 1970s, there were around 20 imitations of the original Sumol; some even reused old Sumol bottles and applied their own branding to fool consumers.

Looking to appeal to a wider audience, Sumol chose Portuguese comedian Herman José to endorse the Sumol brand on their TV advertisements. Using celebrity endorsement is commonplace today but, back in 1978, this was a unique ploy. Now a household name, Sumol began to be distributed outside Portugal, selling in the US, Switzerland, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cape Verde. Havig reached this milestone, the company launched the motto“The world began to Sumolise” in praise of its international exports. 

By the 1980s, Sumol had moved away from using glass bottles and replaced them with modern-day cans and plastic bottles in varying sizes. With the influx of British tourism to Portugal during the 1980s, Sumol looked at targeting the youth who were keen to learn English, and so the company adopted the phrase “Stôra, how do you say Sumol in English?”in its advertisements.

From the 1990s into the 2000s, Sumol expanded its range of new flavours. Passion-fruit, strawberry, lemon  and even “chocolate-orange intense” soon hit the shelves, becoming equally favourable to Sumol connoisseurs.

Keeping the youth in mind, Sumol established a sponsorship agreement with the Portuguese rock band Xutos & Pontapésin the early 1990s. The band toured the country, hosting 40 live performances promoting the Sumol brand, thus marking the brand’s entry into the world of music.

With the creation of Sumol Z as a healthier alternative, Sumol entered the modern world of healthy living, sports and live music, sponsoring music events such as Rock in Rio Lisboa in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Its entry into the sports world kicked off with the brand’s creation of Sumólicos Futebol Clube,a virtual football club aimed at uniting football and Sumol fans regardless of their club affiliation.

In 2013, the brand hit a record high, officially selling more Sumol abroad than in Portugal. What started as a small drinks factory operated by a group of friends is now firmly established as an international brand with over 1,100 employees, 16 other brands, and five plants dotted across the country. It is a serious contender in the soft drinks industry alongside  the big US brands. 

So next time you pop open a bottle of Sumol, just remember it only exists at all thanks to a group of friends and a trusty Portuguese orange. 

Photos © Sumol

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Share this edition

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email