After the outbreak of the war, Keith worked with the German bureaucracy, and was appointed to the "Office of Enemy Property", hence avoiding nationalization of the subsidiary.
The supply of regular Coca-Cola ran out in 1942, having been reserved primarily to wounded soldiers in hospitals.
[2] To keep the plant in operation, Keith developed a fruit flavored drink made from apple fiber, left over from cider pressings, and whey, a byproduct from cheese manufacture, creating Fanta.
[3] The drink sold three million cases in 1943, sustaining the firm's business in Germany.
[2] A street in Essen, the site of Coca Cola Germany's former headquarters, is named after him.