Laoshan Cola

Laoshan Cola, also known in Chinese as 崂山可乐, is a cola soft-drink brand associated with Qingdao, Shandong, China. It was first introduced in 1953 and became one of the best-known domestically produced cola brands in the Chinese market. The brand was produced by Qingdao Beverages Group Co., Ltd. and was historically regarded as one of China's eight major cola brands. The brand's early development took place during a period when China's beverage industry was dominated by domestic production. Laoshan Cola established a strong regional identity connected with Qingdao and the Laoshan name, and for a period it was described as the most popular of the country's eight major cola brands. Its appeal came from its status as a locally produced alternative to international cola brands, as well as from its long-standing presence in Qingdao and surrounding markets. During the 1990s, Coca-Cola acquired the Laoshan Cola brand. Coca-Cola subsequently discontinued production of the drink in 1997. The decision removed the product from the market and ended its first major commercial era. The discontinuation also became part of the wider history of Chinese local beverage brands that faced ownership changes and intense competition as multinational soft-drink companies expanded in China. In March 2004, Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Company purchased the brand. The company invested in imported production machinery with the aim of restoring manufacturing. Laoshan Cola was reintroduced in 2008, bringing the brand back to the market after its period of absence. The revival reflected continuing consumer recognition of the brand and an effort to preserve a notable Qingdao beverage name. After its return, Laoshan Cola competed in a market shaped by the much larger distribution, advertising, and production capabilities of Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Although the brand regained a presence, it did not recover its former market share. Its contemporary significance is therefore primarily regional and historical: it represents an established Chinese cola label with a distinctive Qingdao identity, a notable ownership and discontinuation history, and a post-2000 revival rather than a leading national position comparable to the largest international cola companies. Laoshan Cola (崂山可乐) is a Chinese soft-drink brand in the Laoshan portfolio, produced by Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Co., Ltd. The company describes the product as an “Oriental herbal cola” and dates its introduction to 1956. It is one of several beverage lines made by the company, alongside mineral water, soda water, and other drinks. The website’s brand language presents Laoshan Cola as a cola with a Chinese herbal character, rather than simply as a generic cola offering. The producer is a municipal state-owned enterprise under Qingdao Beverage Group. Its registered contact address is in Laoshan District, Qingdao, Shandong, and its stated production bases are in the Laoshan area. The company’s portfolio is sold in China; the supplied company profile also describes the wider Laoshan mineral-water and beverage business as exporting products to more than 30 countries and regions, but does not specify how widely Laoshan Cola itself is distributed internationally. Laoshan Cola remains part of the company’s active beverage range. The company promotes it under the phrase “本草中国味” (“Chinese herbal taste”) and has used seasonal promotion, including a 2024 campaign featuring hot cola. Its manufacturer also identifies the product as one of the drinks selected for the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao Summit. This dossier concerns the cola product brand specifically, not every product or historical claim associated with the broader Laoshan brand. Laoshan Cola (崂山可乐) is a cola soft-drink brand associated with Qingdao, Shandong, China. It was first introduced in 1953 and became one of the best-known domestically produced cola brands in the Chinese market, historically regarded as one of China's eight major cola brands and described as the most popular among them. The brand was produced by Qingdao Beverages Group Co., Ltd. and later by Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Co., Ltd., a municipal state-owned enterprise under Qingdao Beverage Group whose registered contact address is in Laoshan District, Qingdao, and whose stated production bases are in the Laoshan area. During the 1990s, Coca-Cola acquired the Laoshan Cola brand and subsequently discontinued production in 1997, ending its first major commercial era. In March 2004, Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Company purchased the brand and invested in imported production machinery to restore manufacturing. Laoshan Cola was reintroduced in 2008. After its return, it competed in a market shaped by the much larger distribution, advertising, and production capabilities of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and did not recover its former market share; its contemporary significance is primarily regional and historical. The company describes the product as an “Oriental herbal cola” and dates its introduction to 1956, framing it around the slogan “本草中国味” (“Chinese herbal taste”). It is one of several beverage lines made by the company, alongside mineral water, soda water, and white-flower snakegrass water. The company says Laoshan Cola was among the designated beverages for the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao Summit. In September 2023, Laoshan Cola was named on Qingdao's first “Qingdao Quality Products” list, alongside Laoshan White Flower Snakegrass Water. In January 2024, the company publicized a “Laoshan hot cola” promotion staged at several locations, including Qingdao Railway Station, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, Beijing Wangfujing, and Harbin's Sofia Square. The company's portfolio is sold in China; the supplied company profile also describes the wider Laoshan mineral-water and beverage business as exporting products to more than 30 countries and regions, but does not specify how widely Laoshan Cola itself is distributed internationally.

Laoshan Cola was introduced in 1953 in Qingdao, a major coastal city in Shandong Province. The drink developed as a domestic cola product during a period when China's soft-drink sector was primarily served by local and national producers. The brand's name connected it with Laoshan, a well-known geographic and cultural reference in the Qingdao area, giving it a strong local identity. Over time, Laoshan Cola became one of China's prominent domestic cola brands. It was described as the most popular among the country's eight major cola brands, indicating that its importance extended beyond a small local bottling operation. Its historical position was strengthened by long-term consumer familiarity and by the limited presence of international cola companies during much of its early commercial life. The competitive environment changed substantially in the 1990s as multinational beverage companies expanded in China. Coca-Cola acquired Laoshan Cola during that decade. In 1997, Coca-Cola discontinued the brand's production. This brought the original commercial run to an end and left Laoshan Cola unavailable despite its earlier popularity. A later attempt to restore the brand began in March 2004, when Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Company purchased it. The new owner invested in imported machinery to re-establish production capacity. The effort culminated in the brand's reintroduction in 2008. The return gave Laoshan Cola a renewed market presence and preserved a recognizable Qingdao beverage name. The revived product entered a substantially more competitive market than the one in which it had first succeeded. Coca-Cola and Pepsi had significant advantages in national distribution, marketing, manufacturing scale, and brand investment. Laoshan Cola did not regain its earlier market share after its return, but it continued to represent a surviving regional Chinese cola brand with historical importance and local associations. Laoshan Cola is a beverage product brand within the Laoshan portfolio produced by Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Co., Ltd. The company’s official profile dates the product’s beginning to 1956, calling it the first “Oriental herbal cola.” This date belongs to the cola product line; the broader Laoshan mineral-water brand has a separate and earlier history described by the company. The manufacturer is a municipal state-owned enterprise under Qingdao Beverage Group. It presents Laoshan Cola as one of several product series in a broader drinks portfolio that also includes mineral water, soda water, and white-flower snakegrass water. The official site’s description “本草中国味” frames the cola around an herbal and Chinese-taste identity. The available evidence does not identify the drink’s original inventor, give a detailed recipe, or document specific early production or distribution milestones, so those details cannot be established here. The company says Laoshan Cola was among the designated beverages for the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao Summit. In January 2024 it publicized a “Laoshan hot cola” promotion staged at several locations, including Qingdao Railway Station, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, Beijing Wangfujing, and Harbin’s Sofia Square. In September 2023, Laoshan Cola was named on Qingdao’s first “Qingdao Quality Products” list, alongside Laoshan White Flower Snakegrass Water. The product remains part of the company’s active range, with the current site featuring it as a named beverage offering. The supplied sources do not provide a separate corporate entity, stock listing, or dedicated international distribution figures for Laoshan Cola.

• 2024

  Hot-cola promotional campaign

  In January 2024, the company publicized a “Laoshan hot cola” promotion staged at several locations, including Qingdao Railway Station, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, Beijing Wangfujing, and Harbin's Sofia Square.

• 2023

  Named a Qingdao Quality Product

  In September 2023, Laoshan Cola was named on Qingdao's first “Qingdao Quality Products” list, alongside Laoshan White Flower Snakegrass Water.

• 2018

  Selected for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao Summit

  The company says Laoshan Cola was among the designated beverages for the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao Summit.

• 2008

  Brand reintroduced

  [1]Laoshan Colaen.wikipedia.org

  Laoshan Cola returned to the market after the production-restart effort.

• 2004

  Brand purchased for revival

  [1]Laoshan Colaen.wikipedia.org

  Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Company purchased the brand in March and invested in imported machinery.

• 1997

  Production discontinued

  [1]Laoshan Colaen.wikipedia.org

  Coca-Cola discontinued production of Laoshan Cola.

• 1990

  Brand acquired by Coca-Cola

  [1]Laoshan Colaen.wikipedia.org

  Coca-Cola purchased the Laoshan Cola brand during the 1990s, before later ending its production.

• 1956

  Laoshan Cola introduced

• 1956

  Company-dated introduction of the Oriental herbal cola

  The company's official profile dates the product's beginning to 1956, calling it the first “Oriental herbal cola.”

• 1953

  Brand introduced

  [1]Laoshan Colaen.wikipedia.org

  Laoshan Cola was first introduced as a Chinese cola soft drink associated with Qingdao.

A Qingdao-rooted Chinese cola brand positioned around local heritage and recognition, competing in the domestic carbonated-soft-drink market against Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other cola products. A Chinese cola positioned around an Oriental herbal character and the slogan “Chinese herbal taste.” A Qingdao-rooted Chinese cola brand positioned around local heritage and an Oriental herbal character, promoted under the slogan “Chinese herbal taste” and competing in the domestic carbonated-soft-drink market against Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other cola products.

• Cola soft drink · 1953

  Laoshan Cola

  The brand's principal and documented product is a carbonated cola soft drink, described by its producer as an Oriental herbal cola. Introduced in 1953, it became a prominent domestic cola in China before production was discontinued in 1997. After Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Company acquired the brand in 2004, production was restored with investment in imported machinery, and the drink was reintroduced in 2008. The revived product competed with the much larger Coca-Cola and Pepsi systems but did not recover its former market share. The company's official profile dates the product's beginning to 1956 and frames it around the slogan “本草中国味” (“Chinese herbal taste”). A cola described by its producer as an Oriental herbal cola, introduced in 1956.

• 2024Laoshan hot cola promotion

  In January 2024, the company publicized a “Laoshan hot cola” promotion staged at several locations, including Qingdao Railway Station, Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, Beijing Wangfujing, and Harbin's Sofia Square.

• 2004

  Acquisition and production-restart investmentM&A

  Background

  After the brand had been discontinued, Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water Company acquired it in March 2004.

  Action taken

  The new owner purchased the brand and invested in imported machinery to resume production.

  Aftermath

  Laoshan Cola was reintroduced in 2008, but it did not regain its former market share against Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

  Source

• 1997

  Discontinuation of productionOther

  Background

  Following Coca-Cola's acquisition of the brand during the 1990s, Laoshan Cola was removed from production in 1997.

  Action taken

  Coca-Cola ended manufacturing of Laoshan Cola.

  Aftermath

  The brand disappeared from the market until a later ownership change and revival effort.

  Source

1. 1Laoshan Colaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2青岛崂山矿泉水有限公司 公司简介laoshan.com.cn
3. 3青岛崂山矿泉水有限公司 品牌动态laoshan.com.cn
4. 4青岛崂山矿泉水有限公司laoshan.com.cn
5. 5青岛崂山矿泉水有限公司laoshan.com.cn