John Noel Nichols first discovered the unique taste of Vimto in 1908. The special combination of fruits, herbs and spices were first known as Vimtonic and later shortened to Vimto and subsequently registered as a trademark in 1912. The distinct herbs and spices that contribute to the secret recipe were sourced from around the world and as Vimto’s popularity grew overseas, the Nichols group began developing an export market.
In the early 1920’s Richard Goodsir, a friend of John Noel Nichols, who was the Indian representative for Kiwi boot polish, took a few samples of Vimto concentrate with him to India for the local bottling firms to sample. The British troops from the North West Regiments provided an immediate market as Vimto offered a welcome memory of the taste of home.
In 1924 Vimto became a registered trademark in India and had become appealing to the Indian palate. Vimto’s popularity spread to Burma (now Myanmar), Goa and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Many Indian clerks fluent in Arabic and English found employment in the Middle East. In particular, one family firm Abdulla Aujan & Brothers were introduced to Vimto by an Indian employee and by 1928 large quantities of cordial were being exported to their firm for distribution.
By 1930 Vimto was available in over thirty foreign countries, from Peru to Albania and Liberia.
In the Middle East the popularity of Vimto was spreading through Aujan’s network of trading branches into the Arab States controlled by local Sultans such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Vimto also became increasingly popular in the Muslim areas of the Indian subcontinent that became known as Pakistan, this was partly due to the non-alcoholic nature of the drink.
After the Second World War a shipping service was provided from Salford docks to a port in Bahrain and wooden crates of Vimto Cordial were then transported around the Gulf in Arab ‘dhows’
By the 1960’s, pallet loads of Vimto were being transported to the newly developed ports of Kuwait and the Trucial States. The cordial was double strength in order to reduce transportation costs, however the fuller flavour and sweetness was also preferred by Middle Eastern palates and Vimto Cordial has become particularly popular during Ramadan for its restorative effect after fasting.
In 1975 a company called Solent Canners negotiated a licence from Nichols plc to produce canned carbonated Vimto for sale to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and then later also the United Arab Emirates. In 1978 and 1979 they were awarded the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement on the strength of the Middle Eastern sales. In 1980 Nichols plc purchased Solent Canners
Local production in Gambia and Senegal in Africa commenced in the 1980’s and Vimto has been well received and enjoyed in Africa.
With the worldwide movements to open trade between countries, new markets continued to be opened and developed. In the early 90’s Tanzania became another African Market to produce Vimto and 1997 saw Vimto cordial locally produced in Australia.
The range of products available internationally continued to expand as Vimto introduced confectionery lines.
Africa continued to develop with local production commencing in Cameroun in 1999 and then Sudan in 2000, Kenya in 2001 and Mozambique 2002. Exports also grew in Africa with Angola, Gabon and Mauritania who began to import and distribute Vimto.
Early 2004 saw Vimto launch into the Punjab region of Pakistan, followed in September in the Sindh region and then on into India.
In 2005 and for the first time in its 95 years, Vimto became available in a ready to drink (RTD) pouch pack in Guinea through our licensee Ets Khazaal Ltd. This is also the first time there has been a still RTD variant in the whole of Africa.
The brand is now perfectly positioned to meet the challenges of the next millennium and Vimto International is continuously building on existing relationships and developing new partnerships all over the world.