Several generations of Spaniards have grown up with tail cao as an essential ingredient in breakfasts and snacks. And probably, many of you will still remember not only the singsong of the ‘I am that black boy from tropical Africa..’, or the metal cans in which this ingredient was presented and which, in addition to decorating kitchens, were used to store food or as boxes for threads, as a medicine cabinet or even to store toys or nativity figurines.
Nutrexpa is the company that launched Cola Cao in 1946. A product that was launched for the children’s market. A few years after its launch, Cola Cao established itself as the most present product in Spanish homes to accompany milk at breakfast.
A successful packaging
Part of the success of this product came from its packaging. Metallic and cylindrical cans that had a certain air to the cans of Coca Cola. But above all, the madness was unleashed when in the 1960s Cola Cao launched 1.5 k cans in the shape of a parallelepipedwhich were created to be reused in homes in full Spanish developmentalism.
And probably these cans will be the ones that many of our readers remember the most. Cans featuring illustrations featuring a mother who took out a tray with bowls and the pot of Cola Cao to the joy of her children, while a polka dot background appeared on the sides. This illustration is from the painter and advertising illustrator Antoni Tuseel Ribas.
Cola Cao also launched other cans with vegetable, oriental, tile-inspired motifs… These cans were used to store food, as a sewing kit… Taking advantage of the moment, Cola Cao even launched cans in which the intended use was already marked on a labelindicating for example that the can was to store beans, lentils, flour or rice in the pantry, so that later they say that we have now invented the issue of reuse and packaging with a second use!
The cans, vintage object
After the success of those years with millions of metal cans sold, Cola Cao moved on to more modern formats, such as the yellow plastic jars we know today, or the cardboard boxes with several bags inside. Y Cola Cao metal cans were limited to being sold in flea markets, apps and vintage stores as a part of our most endearing and familiar history.
Today, in addition to being sold as vintage pieces or being part of props for series and movies, these cans are part of the decoration of many homes as a relic of the past, fulfilling its original function as a medicine cabinet or sewing kit, or even as part of the decoration at weddings, forming part of the seating plan, a welcome corner or the candy bar.
In 2015 the cans were reissued by Cola Cao
Precisely, the homesickness that these cans cause in many was what led Cola Cao to launch a special edition of its iconic cans in May 2015. A reissue that had two designs, one with the mother with the Cola Cao tray and the children around, and another with the boxer boy. Inside, how could it be otherwise, a 1.5 kilo bag of Cola Cao.
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You may be interested
- Cola Cao Original in a vintage can. Price in El Corte Inglés: 8.95 euros.
- Cola Cao Original, Saving Format – 7,1kg. Price on Amazon: 32.99 euros.
ColaCao Original: with Natural Cocoa – Saving Format – 7.1kg
- retro storage box Price on Amazon: 9.63 euros.
Nostalgic-Art Retro Storage Box L Have A Coffee – Gift Idea for Nostalgia Fans, Large Coffee Can, Vintage Design, 3 l
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