When taste is more than just taste

There are many times when I drink or eat a product, and I wonder what's behind it. What is the reason I chose this particular product at the shop and why I want to return to it. Obviously, it is taste, ingredients, and texture, but there is always more to it. Much more and that is a feeling. Some might say that this is absurd, because there can not be a feeling behind machines, but sometimes there is. There is the right company attitude, the right idea, values behind it, and much more.

This is the story with croissants. We know what a good croissant is. Layers of flaky and thin dough slathered with butter, and it just all melts together before the first crunchy bite into it. There are several bakeries that do it that way, and we tend to go to that one. And because there is the feeling (after the great taste).

I remember that a few years ago for every kids’ party, I used to make my own lemonade, because it was just impossible to find a proper one in the shops. Every time I boiled the syrup, I asked myself, why isn't anyone importing good organic lemonade to Latvia? Years passed and lemonades started showing up – one good, another better. I still have my favorites, starting from small producers in Latvia to bigger ones from all over the world, but there is one that always stands out at out home and even at friends’ homes – Fritz Lemonade. The one that up until this moment as I write this article I called Fritz-kola, but as it turns out, there is difference – Fritz-kola, Fritz-limo, Fritz-spritz and some others.

The Fritz-kola idea started in 1999 when two students in residence in Hamburg decided that they wanted to make proper cola. The best in the world. It took all their savings (7000 euros), a long search in local pharmacies to get the right ingredients, and lots of tests to get all this started, but it wasn't long (2002) before they had their first samples to try. With some last touches on the logo – since they had no money to invest in designing one, they just took a picture of themselves and placed that on bottle – it all actually started to work in 2003.

I have no idea whether they had any idea how big (well in a small scale) they would grow one day and that the cola part will be just one part of the business and there would be much more to taste. I think they hoped, but actually did not know that people would go crazy for melon lemonade and that kids, upon hearing the name Fritz, would start to smile much more and grownups would discuss the tastes of lemonade at the dinner table.

Today the Fritz family has five smaller families

Cola - classic taste with stevia, sugar free, and with caffeine.
Limo – melon (people just love this one ), orange, lemon, and cherry/apple (my favourite).
Spritz – fantastic rhubarb, apple, and grape. All organic.
Mate – made with mate tea.
Mishmash – orange, lemon and tangerine – all that makes the taste good.

So yes, there are other lemonades I buy at home and when travelling, but there is one I love and this is it. It does not mean I drink it very often, but when I crave a nice sip of lemonade (a sip is enough for me) and something good for the kids, then Fritz comes to mind.

Recipe and photos: Signe Meirane
Photos taken with Sony alpha 7s