Why Orkla’s Fun Light brings summer into the glass

Reviewed: ad hoc news Lifestyle & Consumer desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-19, 04:28. Details in the imprint.

With Fun Light, Orkla pours a neon-bright cordial into the bottle that turns plain tap water into a sweet, sugar-free drink in seconds. One squeeze colors the glass, the aroma of raspberry, orange or exotic fruits hits the nose before the first sip.

What Fun Light promises

Fun Light is a concentrated soft drink designed to be mixed with still or sparkling water, typically at a ratio of around one part syrup to nine parts water. Most variants are marketed as sugar-free or very low in energy, relying on high-intensity sweeteners instead of sugar.

On the shelf, the brand stands out with slim PET bottles and bright labels that signal flavor at a glance, from deep red berries to tropical yellows and greens. For families, the pitch is simple and practical: one bottle replaces several bulky ready-to-drink sodas in the pantry.

Flavor, formats, everyday use

In everyday use, Fun Light behaves like a classic cordial: a short squeeze into the glass, quick stir, done. Because the sweetness level climbs quickly, small children in particular may need some trial and error to find a mix that tastes fruity rather than sticky.

The flavor range usually covers Nordic staples such as raspberry, forest berries and citrus, plus rotating seasonal or limited-edition mixes. That variety means the same base bottle of sparkling water can taste very different from day to day, which keeps the product from feeling monotonous over a long summer.

Less sugar, more questions

The core brand promise is enjoyment with far fewer calories than regular sodas, thanks to artificial or non-caloric sweeteners instead of sugar. That will appeal to health-conscious consumers watching sugar intake, even if some remain skeptical of intensive sweeteners in children’s everyday drinks.

Because the concentrate is so sweet, overdosage can quickly lead to an overpowering, almost perfumed taste that lingers in the mouth. Users who prefer a subtler flavor often report that mixing far lighter than the label suggestion gives a more refreshing, less sticky impression on hot days.

Packaging and sustainability angle

Concentrate naturally saves space: one light bottle of Fun Light can replace several liters of ready-mixed soft drink on the shopping trip. That makes the product attractive for smaller households and anyone carrying their groceries on foot or by bike.

The flip side is the plastic bottle itself, which still lands in the recycling bin once empty. Environmental arguments around concentrate tend to focus on reduced transport weight and fewer bottles overall, but it remains a conventional PET product rather than a radical packaging rethink.

Where Orkla positions the brand

Within Orkla’s broad food and beverage stable, Fun Light sits in the lifestyle corner between classic sodas and pure water. The cordial aims at consumers who want flavored drinks without the sugar hit and who already accept sweeteners in products like zero-cola.

In the Nordic home markets in particular, Fun Light is a familiar name on supermarket shelves and in discount chains. Outside that core region, distribution is patchier, though online retailers increasingly ship the bottles to expatriates and curious buyers in other European countries.

What matters for investors

For Orkla, brands like Fun Light are small but characteristic parts of a strategy that relies on strong regional everyday labels rather than global megabrands. The group has been simplifying its portfolio and sharpening its focus on consumer goods that sell steadily in ordinary grocery baskets.

Shares of Orkla ASA (NO0003733800) trade in Oslo, where the company is a staple of the local equity market and a widely held consumer-goods name among Nordic investors.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.

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