|
 |
 |
The Fabulous ‘50s brought an age of fun and discovery, as well as an entirely new citrus-flavored soft drink called Sundrop. When Charles Lazier, a salesman of beverage concentrates, developed the brand in St. Louis, Mo., in 1949, little did he know that Sundrop would become one of the top regional soft drinks.
While riding around town in the family car, Lazier quickly scribbled a recipe for a new soft drink on a small piece of paper, which he handed to his son, Charles Jr. The younger Lazier worked as a lab technician at his father’s plant, and soon began work on the formula. Two years later, in 1951, Sundrop debuted at the American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages Conference in Washington, D.C.
Over the years, Sundrop developed a loyal consumer base because of its utterly unique citrus flavor. In many southeastern states, Sundrop was known as Sun-drop Golden Cola, Golden Girl Cola and Golden Sun-drop Cola.
In 1970, Crush International acquired Sundrop and standardized its name, packaging and advertising. With a new image, Sundrop sales grew steadily throughout the southeastern United States. In 1980, Procter & Gamble Co. acquired Crush International and the Sundrop trademark.
P&G introduced several new Sundrop flavors in 1985, including a reformulated Diet Sundrop brand using aspartame instead of saccharin. A third brand, Cherry-Lemon Sundrop, was introduced that same year.
Four years later, Sundrop joined the Cadbury Schweppes plc family when Crush International was acquired. Since 1989, the brand has continued to flourish as a popular regional brand in the Southeast with recent expansion in the Southwest. With the loyalty of its regional market base, Sundrop is a “community drink” like no other.
In February of 2002, the brand introduced Caffeine-Free Sundrop to the portfolio after the company received numerous requests from loyal consumers for a caffeine-free version of their favorite citrus soft drink.
Today, the Sundrop brand continues under the ownership of Plano, Texas-based Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB), a subsidiary division of Cadbury Schweppes plc (NYSE:CSG). CSAB is one of the largest producers of soft drinks and premium beverages in the Americas.
What’s in a name? Charles Lazier’s father, John Fredrick “Soda Jack” Lazier, first coined the name Sundrop during the 1920s for an orange drink.
|
|
|
|