European Fanta...

Hello, friends!

Last week, I joined Club 30 while on a short trip to Spain. 😅

My fiancé crushed the planning, per usual, and we had a blast. We spent four days wandering Madrid by foot and Metro, sipping cappuccinos, inhaling sándwiches de jamón ibérico con queso, and drinking plenty of wine. We saw some incredible art, including the other Mona Lisa at el Museo del Prado. And, experienced La Liga for the first time — watching Real Madrid beat Almería in a controversial comeback at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (The Athletic, $).

Two big takeaways from the trip…

1. Growing older is truly a privilege — don’t ever forget that. Spending time with the people you love is the greatest gift through it all.

2. European Fanta is flat-out better than the fluorescent orange stuff they’re putting on the shelves in the U.S.

Today's Content

• Fanta… But Make It European

• DEWALT Takes Over The Sphere

• Big Game Sliders w/ Matty Matheson

Hope you enjoy the read! Feel free to reply with any thoughts or comments. And, if you really really liked it, consider sharing it with a friend!? 🙂

Have a great Monday!

Sam Sherfey

Presented by:

ACROSS THE POND
European Fanta... It's Just Better

When you go to Europe, whether you’re in Greece, Italy, England, Spain, or somewhere else, you might notice that Fanta is as popular more popular than Coca-Cola or Pepsi. 🍊

Fanta is owned by The Coca-Cola Company so they aren’t so hurt by the region’s preference. And, it actually makes sense — the original Fanta brand was created in Germany as a Coca-Cola alternative as a result of an American trade embargo against Germany. A second iteration of the Fanta Cola was manufactured in Amsterdam, Netherlands though with a different recipe which included elderberries.

The orange flavor that is synonymous with the brand was developed in Naples, Italy in 1955. And, in 1960, The Coca-Cola Company bought the brand and began selling it worldwide.

What’s most interesting (and sort of infuriating) about Fanta is that there are over 200 flavors AND the recipes continue to vary from country to country. When you compare the “standard” Orange Fanta from Europe and the United States, the difference is quite apparent. The color… Europe’s Fanta is a soft pastel orange, while the United States’ Fanta is fluorescent orange (it almost glows).

In Greece, Italy, England, Spain, and most places outside of the United States, you’ll experience a variation of Fanta that is more comparable to the Orangina you may find in your local mom & pop grocer or market.

The main difference between the variations in Fanta recipes? Fanta in Europe contains about 12% orange juice. And, in the United States? 0% orange juice. The ingredients include carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural flavors, and plenty of dyes. European Fanta uses sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, and the sugar content was recently lowered to avoid breaking any food regulations that may cause the drink to incur additional taxes.

In general, food and beverage ingredients in Europe differ greatly from those in the United States thanks to stricture guidelines and restrictions on chemicals and artificial ingredients. There are also, of course, regional flavor preferences that account for the fresher and less sweet profiles of food and drink — even beyond Fanta.

Buying European Fanta:

• Fanta (North Macedonia) Case of 24

• Fanta (Denmark) Case of 24

Euro Food Mart offers two variations of “European” Fanta — one from North Macedonia and one from Denmark. They are quite pricey, but worth it if you haven’t had this weird little cultural experience.

AISLE 8
DEWALT^® Announces New POWERSHIFT^™ System

Old-school grocery stores were more than, well, groceries. They were the go-to place for most of your shopping. This was before department stores, big box, and so on. With that in mind, I’ll be using “Aisle 8” as a place to drop headlines from other industries, such as sports, design, and so on.

🌐 The Sphere opened last year and, since then, its 360° LED screen has become one of the most well-known advertising canvases in the World.

It's believed to do about 4.7M total daily impressions between in-person (300,000) and online (4.4M) — big impact to accompany the unmatched spectacle.

The "billboard", funded by Madison Square Garden CEO, James Dolan, has featured ad placements from some businesses you may have heard of... the NBA, the NFL, Formula 1, Disney, Marvel, Google, McLaren, Heineken, DreamWorks, Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's XBOX, and DEWALT. 👷

Last week, World of Concrete took over Las Vegas, and an electrified hard hat featuring the YELLOW & BLACK® color-scheme of DEWALT announced the launch of the DEWALT POWERSHIFT™ System. ⚡

[Hard] hats off to the team that put this together!

PRESENTED BY
Your New Favorite Cappuccino

Coffee and pastries served by some guy in a van.

Short story… in 2019, I quit a job with nothing lined up. I was down in the dumps, and my dad gave me a pep talk that I’ll never forget. He told me I had tons of opportunity ahead and that I didn’t have to be chained to a desk.

Now, apparently, at some point I had mentioned this dream of a mobile coffeeshop. While I have no recollection of that, it’s stuck with me since this talk.

I’ve started referring to the concept as “Generic Coffee”, and it’s become somewhat of a symbol for optimism, perseverance, and what lies ahead.

*Advertise with The Grocer

WATCH
📺 BIG GAME Sliders w/ Matty Matheson

The Super Bowl Matchup is set. The 49ers take on the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11th.

Hopefully you’re starting to think about your party plans now! Maybe some sliders?

Watch here: YouTube 👀

OTHER
Self-Checkout

• Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce gets expanded brand look, feel, and voice, from internal creative team and Stout Creative Inc (LinkedIn).

• Shopify President, Harley Finkelstein shares his perspective on the future of retail, the Taylor Swift model, and what to expect from Shopify this year.

• Flings better-for-you toaster pastries makes debut in 500+ Target locations, nationwide (LinkedIn).

• Temu sues Shein, alleging ‘Mafia-style’ intimidation of manufacturers.

• Elon’s AI company, xAI is looking to raise $6B at a $20B valuation to challenge Microsoft-backed OpenAI.

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