The Chocolate cellar
Address: 113 E. Ivinson Avenue, Laramie, WY 82070
Website: https://www.thechocolatecellarwy.com/
Country Represented: Iceland
Special: Icelandic Chocolate and Coca-Cola
Alexia Oss
UW Architectural Engineering major
**Alexia is featured in art exhibit at Metro Coffee
During World War II, my great-grandfather, George Knepper—whom I knew as Pop Pops—served as a U.S. Army supply officer stationed in Iceland. He was responsible for overseeing the PX, the central store that supplied soldiers with food, clothing, and daily necessities. One of the most common requests from troops was for Coca-Cola, a familiar comfort from home. However, wartime shortages made this difficult. Sugar was scarce worldwide, and the local bottling company in Iceland could not produce Coca-Cola due to limited supplies.
Determined to meet the soldiers’ demand, my great-grandfather negotiated a deal with the bottling agency: if he could supply the sugar, they would provide all the Coca-Cola the PX required. He helped secure sugar from sugar beet fields in Wyoming, many of which had been abandoned as men left to fight in the war. Production was revived in part by allowing prisoners of war to work the fields, easing labor shortages and helping restore sugar output across the United States. This renewed supply allowed sugar to be distributed through the PX system worldwide.
As a result, Coca-Cola became available to troops in Iceland and eventually led to the establishment of a Coca-Cola bottling plant there, which still operates today and contributes to the drink’s popularity in the country. More importantly, this chain of events may have saved my great-grandfather’s life. Delayed in Iceland to complete supply transitions, he avoided landing on D-Day with his unit and instead arrived a week later. That delay, I think, allowed him to survive the war, return home, and build the family of many that exists today.
Ingredients/Flavors: Coca-Cola: I don’t have the specific recipe for Coca-Cola other than the sugar that was used was made from sugar beets originally. Also if someone does use this, I think it would be really fun to use the original, or at least ones that look like the original, green Coca-Cola bottles for aesthetic purposes.