In 1916, Clayton J. Howell, president and founder of the Orange Crush Company, partnered with California chemist Neil C. Ward to incorporate the company. Ward, a beverage and extract chemist, perfected the process of blending ingredients to create the exclusive formula that yielded the zesty, all-natural orange flavor of Orange Crush. J.M. Thompson of Chicago is recognized as the original inventor of Orange Crush in 1906.

C. J. Howell was not new to the soft drink business, having earlier introduced Howell’s Orange Julep. Soft drinks of the time often carried the surname of the inventor along with the product name. Howell sold the rights to use his name in conjunction with his first brand; his partner, Ward, was given the honors and Crush was first premiered as “Ward’s Orange Crush.”

The success of Ward’s Orange Crush was remarkable. By 1918, Crush was available in Canada. Just eight years after introduction, Crush had established 1,200 bottlers by embarking on a program of aggressive international expansion. In the ’20s, ’30s and ’50s, Crush advanced into South America, Europe, New Zealand and Africa.

Orange Crush was the first flavor produced by the company, and others soon followed. Lemon Crush and Lime Crush were introduced in a line known as “the Crushes” within a few years of the brand’s creation. Grape Crush was introduced in 1960, Cherry Crush in 1962 and Pineapple Crush in 1966.

In 1989, Cadbury Beverages Inc. acquired Crush USA from Procter & Gamble Co. and revived the Crush flavor line. Colorful new packaging graphics, introduced in 1991, and new Crush Tropical Punch and Crush Peach, introduced in 1992, extended the Crush flavor tradition in the ’90s.

Orange Crush is currently marketed through Plano, Texas-based Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, the largest non-cola soft drink enterprise in North America and the largest beverage subsidiary of London-based Cadbury Schweppes plc.

What's in a name?  Clayton J. Howell included the word "crush" in the original soft drnk's name to refer to the process of extracting oils from oranges.