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Vimto is a British mixed fruit soft drink containing the juice of , Raspberry, , and black flavoured with herbs and spices. Originating in Manchester, Northern England, the recipe was invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols of Blackburn. It was first manufactured as a Herbal tonic in cordial form, then decades later as a carbonated drink. Produced domestically by Nichols plc, it is available in cans and bottles in carbonated, still, cordial (squash), and energy forms and it has also been made into a confectionery, ice pop and other items. Vimto is traditionally most popular in the north of England and is also sold globally under licence, and enjoys high popularity in the Gulf Arab states and in The Gambia and Senegal.
In 1910, production moved to a warehouse at Chapel Street, Salford, then to Old Trafford in 1927, and in 1971, to a state-of-the-art plant in Wythenshawe, Manchester. In 1999, the company's head office moved to Newton-le-Willows in St Helens, Merseyside.
From the 1990s to 2003, Vimto print advertisements used the cartoon character Purple Ronnie, along with slightly rude poems by Giles Andreae, the creator of Purple Ronnie. In 2003, Purple Ronnie was dropped, and a new creative direction was adopted, revolving around the benefits of 'Shlurpling the Purple'. This, in turn, led to the launch in 2006 of Billy and his Dad's Pants–a modern-day morality story in which, despite turning up at the swimming pool with his Dad's Underpants in the middle of his rolled-up towel, Billy wins out with ingenuity and humour. The theme tune 'Dad's Pants' become something of a cult classic, and was based on Loudon Wainwright III's 1972 novelty song "Dead Skunk".
An oak sculpture entitled "A Monument to Vimto" was created by Kerry Morrison and installed on Granby Row–the location of the original Vimto premises–in central Manchester in 1992. The statue was restored and repainted in 2011.
In 2021 Vimto introduced a new logo design across the range.
Vimto is also manufactured under licence in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, The Gambia, and Ghana. A Sunday Times article in 2007 claimed it to be the most popular drink during the holy month of Ramadan in some Arab countries. The drink in its original incarnation is still maintained as a health tonic among West Africans and is marketed as such there.
The drink was also made under licence in the United Kingdom by A.G. Barr in 1996.
In 2014, the recipe for Fizzy Vimto was changed to include artificial sweeteners, Acesulfame K and Sucralose.
Ellis Wilkinson Mineral Water facilitated the production of drinks for Vimto in their early days of trading.
Vimto is currently available in 65 countries and the number of countries in which it is on sale is growing.
Vimto is also available in a Slushy variety alongside many other different Vimto confectionery products, such as Vimto bars, lollipops, Rip Rolls, candy sprays, and Jelly Babies.
Vimto is also available in the form of an energy drink, Vimto Energy, made with natural caffeine and real fruit juice.
Vimto is also available in a summer flavour, containing ingredients such as orange and apple, both of which are cordial products. Vimto was the UK's fastest-growing soft drinks brand by value in 2006 (as measured by NielsenIQ).
An alcoholic cocktail known as the Cheeky Vimto or "Crazy Vimto" is also drunk in the UK. However, Vimto is not an ingredient of this beverage, and the name comes from its resemblance to the original product; instead, it contains Port wine and Blue WKD. There is also a variant of this cocktail called "Dirty Vimto" that replaces the port with Buckfast Tonic Wine. Vimto is also often made as a hot beverage by simply adding boiling water to the concentrate, and is popular in this form throughout the north of England. Vimto is often made with hot water, especially during the winter months. It is also taken to sporting events in vacuum flasks by spectators as a warming drink to fend off the winter chill.
Various alternate-flavoured variants of Vimto were introduced over the years; cherry- and strawberry-flavoured variants, known as "Cherry Vimto" and "Strawberry Vimto", have become part of the range. In 2016, a new variant, "Vimto Remix", was introduced. This range consists of various alternate flavour mixes that were introduced each year – mango, strawberry and pineapple in 2016, raspberry, orange, and passionfruit in 2017, watermelon, strawberry, and peach in 2018 and strawberry, orange and lime in 2019. The "Remix" name was eventually dropped after the drink was rebranded in 2021, while new flavour mixes continue to be introduced.
Homemade variations include a Vimto Milkshake made by adding milk instead of water to the cordial, and a Vimto Milkshake Special involving the same with vanilla ice-cream added.
In June 2023, Vimto launched an energy drink, called Vimto Energy. It is currently available as a normal version with sugar and a sugar free (zero) version.
Vimto was introduced in India in 1924 during the colonial period. Vimto was introduced to The Gambia and Senegal in the 1980s, where it remains popular.[1]
In 2011, Vimto once again became widely available throughout the Republic of Ireland, through Tesco and the local version of Iceland shops.
In Pakistan, Vimto is produced under licence by Mehran Bottlers.
In Nepal, Vimto is manufactured under licence by Himganga Beverage Pvt Ltd.
In Cyprus, Vimto is manufactured under license by Kean.
In Ghana, Vimto is manufactured under licence by Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Ltd.
It officially broke into the market in 2024; though Malaysian consumers have already been acquainted with the brand years prior through the Middle Eastern version in specialty stores ( kedai Arab) unofficially provided by AM Avenue Trading, also a local distributor of Barbican.
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