Creamola Foam

Creamola Foam
Country of origin	Scotland
Introduced	1950

Creamola Foam was a soft drink produced in the form of soluble crystals. It was manufactured in Glasgow and sold mainly in Scotland from the 1950s until Nestlé ended production in October 1998.

In 2005, Allan McCandlish of Cardross started producing a re-creation of Creamola Foam under the name Kramola Fizz.

In April 2019 his daughter Agnes and son Andrew of McCandlish Farmhouse Confectionery relaunched the product under it's rightful name of Creamola Foam (registered Trademark) and is now available on the shelves again in Scotland as well as worldwide.

An alternative product called Krakatoa Foam was manufactured by Ally Bally Bees Ltd, based in Fife who went into liquidation in 2014.

Details

Creamola foam came in the form of colourful crystals which were dissolved in cold water to form a sweet, effervescent drink. It was packaged in a small tin labelled with a cartoon girl and boy drinking with straws.

The drink originally came in raspberry, orange, and lemon flavours; cola was a later addition to the range.

The product was originally owned by Rowntrees before coming under the banner of Nestle UK until being sold off to Premier Foods.

The name is often misspelled as Cremola foam.

The last 2 tins of Creamola Foam are owned by a 'Man of Mystery' in Kilmarnock.

The relaunched Creamola Foam drink comes in 17 flavours including the original flavours of raspberry, orange, lemon and cola flavours.

Early form

The original packaging consisted of a small tin with a tight metal lid, normally pried off with a teaspoon. A paper seal covered the foam crystals.

The packaging included the phrases:

"CREAMOLA FOAM CRYSTALS"
"MAKES 10 BIG DRINKS"
"FULLY SWEETENED"

The original ingredient list read:

Sugar
Fruit acids
Sodium bicarbonate
Gum acacia, a thickener/stabiliser
Saccharin
Saponin, a foaming agent
flavouring
colour

Later revision

The revision introduced in the 1980s featured a plastic lid and modernised branding. The label reads, "Creamola FOAM". The ingredients were:

Sugar
Citric acid
Sodium bicarbonate
Tartaric acid
Flavouring
Saccharin, sweetener
Gum acacia, stabiliser
Extract of quillaia, a foaming agent
Carmine, food colouring agent (in this example, raspberry flavour)

The effervescence, when the powder dissolves as it is stirred into water, is due to the reaction of the citric and tartaric acids with sodium bicarbonate, forming carbon dioxide gas. These weak organic "fruit" acids also provide the sharp taste. The addition of stabiliser and saponaceaous foaming agent extends the life of the bubbles. The artificial colouring and flavouring, plus the fruit acids, give the illusion of a fruity base, although the recipe is essentially synthetic.

Demand from the public

A large number of Scottish and Irish people born between the 1950s and early 1990s retain an affection and nostalgia for Creamola Foam, as a drink they enjoyed as children and cannot obtain until April 2019 and to this effect several online petitions argue for the resumption of the brand.

The Creamola Foam brand was relaunched in April 2019 by McCandlish Farmhouse Confectionery.

Scottish Parliament motion and amendment bulletin from 18th Jan 2010

S3M-5454 "That the Parliament welcomes news of the launch of Creamola Fizz, the reincarnation of an old favourite fizzy soluble drink, known as Creamola Foam Crystals, that used to be a big treat for young and old alike; recalls that it was withdrawn by Nestlé in 1998; welcomes its imminent return under local Scottish ownership, and wishes the new producer, Allan McCandlish of Cardross, every success with the expected relaunch early this year to delight a whole new generation of Creamola Fizz lovers."

The motion was supported by: Alasdair Allan, Jackie Baillie, Cathy Peattie, Bill Wilson, Jim Hume, Anne McLaughlin, Jackson Carlaw, Sandra White, Bill Kidd, Patrick Harvie, Aileen Campbell, Brian Adam, Bob Doris, Christine Grahame, Iain Smith, Gil Paterson, Linda Fabiani, Maureen Watt, Dave Thompson

External links

Picture of two creamola foam promotional badges