this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2026
61 points (95.5% liked)

Buy European

10241 readers
319 users here now

Overview:

The community to discuss buying European goods and services.


Matrix Chat of this community


Rules:

  • Be kind to each other, and argue in good faith. No direct insults nor disrespectful and condescending comments.

  • Do not use this community to promote Nationalism/Euronationalism. This community is for discussing European products/services and news related to that. For other topics the following might be of interest:

  • Include a disclaimer at the bottom of the post if you're affiliated with the recommendation.

  • No russian suggestions.

Feddit.uk's instance rules apply:

  • No racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or xenophobia.
  • No incitement of violence or promotion of violent ideologies.
  • No harassment, dogpiling or doxxing of other users.
  • Do not share intentionally false or misleading information.
  • Do not spam or abuse network features.
  • Alt accounts are permitted, but all accounts must list each other in their bios.
  • No generative AI content.

Useful Websites

Benefits of Buying Local:

local investment, job creation, innovation, increased competition, more redundancy.

European Instances

Lemmy:

Friendica:

Matrix:


Related Communities:

Buy Local:

Continents:

European:

Buying and Selling:

Boycott:

Countries:

Companies:

Stop Publisher Kill Switch in Games Practice:


Banner credits: BYTEAlliance


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Hi! I've my anxiety that I've been quenching with sodas but I'd like to move away from anything America branded overall into some local alternatives. What are some soda alternatives 100% EU?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[โ€“] emigu@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm a big fan of Fritz-cola, and they have plenty of other sodas as well. Don't know how easy it is to find though

[โ€“] dello_iv@piefed.social 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Are you in CH? I am but can't find it anywhere in TI, sadly. I am relying on Denner/Coop cola
Edit: spelling

[โ€“] simsala@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Hi, fellow swiss here! I just recently compiled a list for European alternatives when grocery shopping and you can find some soda suggestions there too (the post). I think in Coop you can find Sinalco and Elmer which do Cola, Fanta and Sprite-like stuff.

load more comments (1 replies)
[โ€“] sasquash@sopuli.xyz 9 points 2 months ago

Many countries have their own brands. Where are you at?

[โ€“] BennyTheExplorer@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Fritzkola is german

[โ€“] Eat_Your_Paisley@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I like Fritz though Iโ€™m not sure itโ€™s available outside of Germany

[โ€“] musubibreakfast@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's available in Paris and Amsterdam as well.

[โ€“] Eat_Your_Paisley@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

On my last bike tour of the Netherlands and Belgium I couldnโ€™t find it but in my defense there was lots of cheese

[โ€“] angelmountain@lemy.nl 5 points 2 months ago

It's available in some places in NL, like bigger Albert Heijn supermarkets and some cafes, but not too many.

[โ€“] jlow@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 months ago

It's available in hipster coffee shops in Scotland, at least ...

[โ€“] bagbrugsen@piefed.social 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I do recommend a well unknown soda from Denmark... you might never taste it, but its great. Maybe one of the greatest sodas of eu? ny1yJuF2wslEFRA.jpg

[โ€“] Jesus_666@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I love obtusely named flavors hiding among obvious ones. Drink Hancock! We have flavors like lemon, orange, and sports!

(Relatedly, German chocolate brand Ritter Sport has a variety called "Olympia". Admittedly easier to remember than "yogurt honey crisp hazelnut with dextrose".)

load more comments (1 replies)
[โ€“] AccoSpoot@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)
[โ€“] danielhvf@piefed.social 6 points 2 months ago

Sumol is a portuguese brand

[โ€“] DmMacniel@feddit.org 6 points 2 months ago

Fritz!Kola straight from my hometown Hamburg :D

[โ€“] Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I recently got a machine for adding bubbles to water. Cost me 10 โ‚ฌ used, including an empty COโ‚‚ bottle which I can change for a full one at any hypermarket by paying 7 โ‚ฌ for the content (which enbubblifies a 1-litre bottle about 60 times, they promise).
And then I can mix that with some lemonade concentrate to get cola or sprite or orange lemonade or whatever. Or I can just put a lemon juice on the bottom of the glass, add a little bit more sugar than that amount, and then pour that water with bubbles atop it.

Works like charm and has the added bonus that I don't need to lug full bottles of lemonade in my backpack to my district that is located unfairly on top of a very mean hill. I can always make just the amount of lemonade I really want, and I can have one glass of this taste and one glass of that. Any juice concentrate works for adding the taste. I found orange juice concentrate that has simply "orange" as its ingredients and makes much tastier lemonade than anything I could buy from the shop.
Plus, the mark's own cola concentrate is tasty.

And obviously you can always just buy water with bubbles. But then you'll have to lug it around, which kind of meh. It weighs.

[โ€“] DmMacniel@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Would be cool if they could branch out to other countries. Here in Germany the predominantly brand is sadly Sodastream.

[โ€“] Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus 1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Their site exists in German... And they do sell their products in Germany. Somewhere.They do say that you can get new CO2 cylinders "in shops" and that you can use CO2 cylinders of several marks, not just their own, but that's a bit ridiculously lacking level of information still. I did just write them an email asking (telling...) them to increase their accessibility by telling where the hell their products can be bought. But anyway, they seem to want only 7 โ‚ฌ of postage to Germany on their online shop?!
You just need to ask in some big shop around if they would have a system for changing CO2 available. The MySoda site hints in a semi-unclear manner that that should be a relatively common service in Germany. I'd venture to ask at least at the closest Kaufland and Karstadt for what they have for offer.

They do tell here that you can use CO2 cylinders of "most marks", and mention Aarke, Sodapop and Aga as examples.

And you can order cylinders in Germany via http://sodabaer.de/

[โ€“] RidderSport@feddit.org 1 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Supermarkets with soda exchange are (from the top of my head and without heaving a sodamachine): Netto (red), Rewe, Edeka, Kaufland, tegut

[โ€“] Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus 1 points 2 months ago

Any idea of which are made by companies opposing genocides and which by the company that actively participates in a genocide?

load more comments (2 replies)
[โ€“] jok@piefed.social 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Cockta is a Slovenian brand. Kofola Czech, I like both.

load more comments (3 replies)
[โ€“] rmuk@feddit.uk 5 points 2 months ago

I maintain that the best sugar-free cola you can buy is Freeway XL, the in-house brand at Lidl. Way better than Pepsi Max or Coke Zero.

[โ€“] Lysergid@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 months ago

Freeway cola from lidl is surprisingly good and almost twice cheaper.

[โ€“] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago

I switched to tap water. Better for my health, better for the environment and better for my wallet.

[โ€“] br3d@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Orangina is the first that comes to mind. Almost definitively French

[โ€“] chjherzog@jlai.lu 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Orangina is owned by Suntory Holdings. Suntory is a Japanese brewing company. While not American it is not European either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suntory

load more comments (1 replies)
[โ€“] then_three_more@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago
[โ€“] quediuspayu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 months ago

Good question! I've been searching a few minutes for Spanish brands and everything seems to have been bought or is distributed by cocacola, pepsico or suntory.

How many levels are in this industry? What a mess? There are brands, producers, bottlers, distributors and everything seems to be mixed.

[โ€“] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 4 points 2 months ago

The easiest way: go to the nearest supermarket and take a bottle with a name you never heard of. Just read the label too. You can easily expect that local supermarket will have more local brands and they will be cheaper. Approach with looking for the complete list of European manufacturers and then searching for concrete names according to that list looks too tedious and overcomplicated.

[โ€“] DGen@piefed.zip 3 points 2 months ago

Sinalco, Spezi (different brands..) and Vita Cola from Germany.

[โ€“] RareEarth@piefed.social 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

My big trick over the past few years is make my own. So just squeeze a lime into a glass, drop of cordial and add sparkling water.

Now Iโ€™m ready to buy one of the machines, with refillable gas canisters. And not feel guilty about all the plastic bottles.

Fresh ginger, or apple juice is also a good mixer

[โ€“] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

You can make your own soda without much difficulty, depending on your preferred taste. Carbonated orange juice/lemonade is what I do, but cola is doable. No clue about root beer or Dr Pepper, but ginger ale is supposedly pretty simple.

https://youtu.be/fZb_7JgcsSU

This would at least be a start to cola, fanta and sprite. The German versions, at least fanta would surprise Americans I guess.

[โ€“] Druivendief@piefed.social 3 points 2 months ago

Ritchie's lemonade in Belgium is quite good, however pricey Personally I have a sweet spot for Club Mate. Kofola and Almdudler are good too

[โ€“] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 2 months ago

When I was in Germany I remember liking Spezzi and some other one I can not remember the name of, but it reminded me of Dr. Pepper.

[โ€“] rhubarbe@tarte.nuage-libre.fr 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Breizh Cola is a nice exact equivalent: https://www.breizhcola.bzh/

My preference goes for tap water obviously but alternatively I just use an organic concentrated soda juice (such https://www.bigallet.fr/produit/sirop-de-cola-bio/ ).

[โ€“] EverXIII@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Tirola Kola from Austria

[โ€“] ThunderComplex@lemmy.today 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)
  • afri cola
  • club mate
  • Deit
  • Gerri
  • Sinalco
  • RedBull
  • Paulaner (They make my fav Spezi)

These are the ones I know and have tasted myself. My favorites would be Gerri who make my favorite orange lemonade by far, and Paulaner Spezi.
I donโ€™t drink energy drinks often but RedBull tastes muuuch better than Monster to the point that the latter makes me nauseated.
Afri Cola is one that I donโ€™t like but itโ€™s an option and not completely horrible.

Club Mate!!! Just don't drink too many

[โ€“] Defectus@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Rivella - Swizz soda Trocadero,. Zingo, champis, pommac, julmust, Loranga, Sockerdricka, Cuba Cola- Swedish soda.

Trocadero and julmust feels pretty unique

load more comments (2 replies)
[โ€“] morlockdilemma@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago

The one and only Cockta!

[โ€“] Marzanna@scribe.disroot.org 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's better to drink kvass and non-alcoholic beer from your local brewery.

load more comments (1 replies)

Shout out to Why Not, organic craft sodas from Portugal

[โ€“] H3ll1@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 months ago

I can recommend MioMio. I've tried everything they offer and except the Banana one I loved every sort.

load more comments
view more: next โ€บ