A.J. Canfield Company

Last updated
A.J. Canfield Company
IndustrySoda Beverage Producer
FoundedChicago, Illinois, US (1924 (1924))
FounderArthur J. Canfield
Defunct1995 (1995)
FateSold to Select Beverages in 1995, which later came under ownership of Keurig Dr Pepper
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
,
United States
Area served
US Midwest region
Productssoft drinks
BrandsCanfield's Diet Chocolate Fudge
Canfield's 50/50
Canfield's Dry Ginger Ale
Grandpa Graf's
Swiss Creme

The A.J. Canfield Company was a Chicago-based independent producer of carbonated beverages founded in 1924. The company was known during its later years for marketing unusual flavors, including Canfield's Diet Chocolate Fudge; it was sold by the Canfield family in 1995 to Select Beverages. [1]

Contents

History

50/50 soda bottle 50 50 Soda Bottle 2013-04-08 20-38.jpg
50/50 soda bottle

The company was started in 1924, [2] at 67th Street and South Chicago Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, by Arthur J. Canfield, a former railroad worker. [3]

Canfield's was unique during much of its early history in the marketing approach of using quart glass bottles of a unique design that could only be returned to the Canfield's bottling plant, whereas almost all regional bottlers at the time used generic quart glass bottles with removable paper labels that could be returned to any bottling plant. The company then promoted its beverages and bottles to be of higher quality than other Chicago area soft drink makers. This plan produced mixed results, as some retailers declined to carry Canfield's products to avoid the extra work required to return the bottles. Canfield's also used unique reinforced wooden cases for delivery and return of their quart bottles to help prevent breakage.

Canfield's was a marketer of this unique bottle until the mid 1970s. Around 1976, Canfield's switched to a plastic quart bottle with a unique shape resembling a vintage glass "milk bottle with cream top". This change coincided with Canfield's "Come Taste The Rainbow - Canfield's Rainbow Of Flavor And Fun" advertising campaign. A wide variety of fruit flavored sodas were added to the product line at this time.

Canfield's was a large scale advertiser on Channel 9 in Chicago until 1995, when the company was sold to Select Beverages. [4] Its largest plant, on the south side of Chicago at East 89th Place, was closed in December 1995. [5]

In 1998, Select Beverages was acquired by the American Bottling Company, a joint venture company owned by Cadbury Schweppes and the Carlyle Group. [6] Ownership would eventually be taken over by Keurig Dr Pepper.

Products

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soft drink</span> Sweetened non-alcoholic drink, often carbonated

A soft drink is any water-based flavored drink, usually but not necessarily carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used can be natural or artificial. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a sugar substitute, or some combination of these. Soft drinks may also contain caffeine, colorings, preservatives and other ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonated water</span> Water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas

Carbonated water is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, either artificially injected under pressure or occurring due to natural geological processes. Carbonation causes small bubbles to form, giving the water an effervescent quality. Common forms include sparkling natural mineral water, club soda, and commercially produced sparkling water.

Yoo-hoo is an American brand of chocolate-flavored beverage that was created by Natale Olivieri in Garfield, New Jersey, in 1928 and is currently manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper. As of 2019, the drink is primarily made from water, high-fructose corn syrup and whey.

SoBe is an American brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the SoBe name has also been licensed for gum and chocolate products. SoBe switched from glass bottles to plastic bottles for all of its beverages in 2010.

Jones Soda Co. is a beverage company based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It bottles and distributes soft drinks, non-carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and candy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soda fountain</span> Device dispensing carbonated soft drinks

A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated soft drinks, called fountain drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores. The machine combines flavored syrup or syrup concentrate and carbon dioxide with chilled and purified water to make soft drinks, either manually, or in a vending machine which is essentially an automated soda fountain that is operated using a soda gun. Today, the syrup often is pumped from a special container called a bag-in-box (BiB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shasta (drink)</span> American soft drink brand

Shasta Beverages is an American soft drink manufacturer that markets a value-priced soft drink line with a wide variety of soda flavors, as well as a few drink mixers, under the brand name Shasta. The company name is derived from Mount Shasta in northern California and the associated Shasta Springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice cream float</span> Soft drink with ice cream

An ice cream float or ice cream soda, also known as a spider in Australia and New Zealand, is a chilled beverage that consists of ice cream in either a soft drink or a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grapette</span> Soft drink first made in 1939

Grapette is a grape-flavored soft drink that was first produced and marketed in 1939 by Benjamin "Tyndle" Fooks. Grapette is now produced by Grapette International, and is marketed in the United States by Walmart as part of its Sam's Choice line of soft drinks.

Vess Soda is a brand of soft drink manufactured and distributed primarily in the St. Louis, Missouri, United States metropolitan area and recently in Canada through Dollarama and Giant Tiger locations. The company was founded in 1916 by Sylvester Jones, who arrived at the Vess brand name from his nickname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ting (drink)</span> Jamaican carbonated beverage

Ting is a carbonated beverage popular in the Caribbean. It is flavored with Jamaican grapefruit juice and is both tart and sweet. Ting comes in a green glass bottle, green plastic bottle or a green and yellow can. Like Orangina, the beverage contains a small amount of sediment consisting of grapefruit juice pulp. Ting is produced in the United Kingdom under license by Refresco Beverages. Ting also now makes Pink Ting Soda, Orange Ting, Diet Ting Soda, and ginger beer.

Canfield's Diet Chocolate Fudge soda is a zero-calorie, aspartame-sweetened carbonated soft drink canned and distributed by the A.J. Canfield Company of Elgin, Illinois, USA, a division of Select Beverages. Production for the midwestern United States is handled by the American Bottling Company, a subsidiary of Keurig Dr Pepper and distribution by Kehe Foods of Chicago.

Grandpa Graf's is a carbonated soft drink that can presently be purchased in eastern and northern Wisconsin groceries. The beverage is a root beer flavored drink that originated in 1873 from John Graf.

Cherikee Red is a brand of cherry-flavored soft drink. Its name is a play on the name of the Cherokee Indian Tribe.

Sun Crest is a brand of flavored carbonated soft drink manufactured by The Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC, of Jasper, Indiana, and owned by Hedinger Brands, LLC, except for six countries in Asia owned by The Monarch Beverage Company, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia. Sun Crest Orange is currently available in fountain service and glass bottles in select markets in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filbert's</span>

Filbert's Old Time is a beverage company based in Chicago, Illinois. Since 1926, it has bottled and distributed soft drinks as well as non-carbonated beverages. The warehouse is located on 3430 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60608.

Chocolate soldier can refer to either a chocolate-flavored soft drink once produced in the United States and still sold in Mexico, or to a chocolate liqueur-based cocktail.

References

  1. ↑ Vogell, Heather (August 31, 2000). "Arthur J. Canfield, 84; helped in expansion of soft-drink company". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  2. ↑ A.J. Canfield Co. v. Vess Beverages, Inc., 796F.2d903 (7th Cir.15 July 1986).
  3. ↑ Vogell, Heather (31 August 2000). "Arthur J. Canfield, 84". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Ford, Dawn (1 July 1995). "Select buys Canfield, creates Midwest powerhouse". Beverage Industry. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  5. ↑ Millman, Nancy (9 April 1996). "New Owner To Dip Canfield Into New Markets". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  6. ↑ Kirk, Jim (24 February 1998). "Select Beverages To Be Swallowed By Joint Venture Firm". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  7. ↑ Haddix, C.; Kraig, B. (2017). The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. Heartland Foodways. University of Illinois Press. p. 532. ISBN   978-0-252-09977-9 . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ Beverage Industry (in Estonian). Magazines for Industry. 1987. p. 142. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Beverages Direct web site" . Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  10. ↑ "Canfield's 50/50 Soda".
  11. ↑ "Arthur J. Canfield, 84". Chicago Tribune. August 31, 2000. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.