Type | Citrus soda |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper |
Distributor | Local bottlers and distributors |
Country of origin | Missouri, United States |
Region of origin | |
Introduced | 1949 |
Ingredients | Orange juice |
Variants |
|
Website | www |
Sun Drop is a citrus-flavored soft drink produced by Keurig Dr Pepper with a yellowish-green color. Among soft drinks, it is known for its high caffeine content. [1] Orange juice concentrate is an ingredient in the drink. Bottled Sun Drop uses real sugar cane, which contains some "pulp" giving Sun Drop it's distinct flavor and appearance. Sun Drop competes primarily against the Coca-Cola Company's Mello Yello and PepsiCo's Mountain Dew.
Sun Drop was developed in Missouri by Charles Lazier, a salesman of beverage concentrates. [2] [3] 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, Sun Drop Cola debuted at the American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages Conference in Washington, D.C. [4] The Sun Drop formula was patented on April 15, 1930. Gastonia, NC was the headquarters for bottling Sun Drop for over 50 years till 2016.
The drink was marketed in several Southern states under names such as "Sundrop Golden Cola" or "Golden Girl Cola." The brand was acquired and standardized by Crush International in 1970. Crush International was purchased by Procter & Gamble in 1980, which sold its soft drinks holdings to Cadbury Schweppes plc in 1989. Cadbury Schweppes demerged in 2008, with its beverage unit becoming Keurig Dr Pepper, which currently produces Sun Drop.
Prior to the sale to Cadbury Schweppes, Procter & Gamble introduced several new Sun Drop flavors in 1985, including a reformulated Diet Sun Drop brand using aspartame instead of saccharin. A third brand, Cherry-Lemon Sun Drop, was introduced that same year. In February 2002, the brand introduced Caffeine-Free Sun Drop to the portfolio after the company received numerous requests from loyal consumers for a caffeine-free version of their favorite citrus soft drink. [4] A diet variant of Cherry Lemon Sun Drop was introduced 2014.
Sun Drop has maintained popularity in many parts of the Southern United States, especially in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and parts of the Midwestern United States, including Wisconsin and western Minnesota. Similar to other regional drinks with a cult following, fans outside bottling areas have been known to pay large amounts to have the drink shipped to them. Families have sent it to U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan. [5]
Sun Drop is sometimes used as a mixer for drinks with hard liquor. [5]
Sun Drop is the official drink of the nationally recognized "Fancy Farm Picnic" in Fancy Farm, Kentucky.
In the 1970s until the early 1990s, the drink was promoted in the American South by NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. [5] His son Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also sponsored by Sun Drop in the late model series in 1993; they will reunite for the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on August 31, 2022. [6]
The soft drink was a leading sponsor for racecar driver Ryan Hunter-Reay in the IndyCar Series for Andretti Autosport from 2011 to 2013.
Carolina Beverage Corp. bought Sun Drop Bottling Co. of Concord effective December 1, 2016. The Concord, North Carolina plant closed. [7]
Keurig Dr Pepper distributed Sun Drop nationwide beginning in 2011, with a new campaign that features an updated web site, a Facebook page, and a promotional deal with MTV. [5] The Sun Drop marketing plan is a component of Keurig Dr Pepper's efforts to expand its non-cola soda sales and is targeting drinkers of PepsiCo's Mountain Dew brand of soft drinks in the United States. [5] Sun Drop's expansion occurred several months after Coca-Cola brought its high-caffeine citrus drink Mello Yello nationwide.
Dr Pepper Snapple entered into an agreement with Scratch, MTV's marketing agency. Scratch will develop new Sun Drop advertising and branding, including a new design for the can. [5] MTV will also feature Sun Drop in programming, including on its reality series The Real World .[ when? ]
There are six varieties of the drink: [8]
Sun Drop that is bottled in glass bottles is typically sweetened with sugar instead of corn syrup, providing a slightly different taste. [9]
7 Up or Seven Up is an American brand of lemon-lime–flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo except the UK where it is distributed by Britvic, PepsiCo's designated UK distributor.
RC Cola is a cola-flavored carbonated beverage owned in the United States by Keurig Dr Pepper and internationally by RC Global Beverages, Inc.
Jolt Cola was a carbonated soft drink produced by The Jolt Company, Inc.. The cola drink was created in 1985 by C. J. Rapp as a highly caffeinated beverage. It was targeted towards students and young professionals, stressing its use as a stimulant in a similar manner as energy drinks. Its slogan reads "All the sugar and twice the caffeine!"
Orangina is a lightly carbonated beverage made from carbonated water, 12% citrus juice, as well as 2% orange pulp. Orangina is sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and in some markets with artificial sweetener. Natural flavors are also added.
Crush is a brand of carbonated soft drinks owned and marketed internationally by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally created as an orange soda, Orange Crush. Crush competes with Coca-Cola's Fanta. It was created in 1911 by beverage and extract chemist Neil C. Ward. Most flavors of Crush are caffeine-free.
Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. was a soft-drink manufacturing company based in Plano, Texas. It was created by the merger of Dr Pepper, Inc. and The 7 Up Company on May 19, 1986. The merger was a result of the independent bailouts of both companies and the subsequent Federal Trade Commission blockage of a Dr Pepper merger with Coca-Cola. The DPSU merger resulted in the breakup of international branding rights held by the two independent companies.
Canada Dry is a Canadian-American brand of soft drinks founded in Toronto, Ontario, in 1904, and owned since 2008 by the American company Dr Pepper Snapple. For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for its ginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers. Although it originated in Canada, Canada Dry is now produced in many countries such as the United States, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, Turkey and in a number of countries of Europe and the Middle East.
Sussex Golden Ginger Ale is a "golden" ginger ale originally bottled in the town of Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada. It is produced by Canada Dry Motts, a subsidiary of Keurig Dr Pepper. The beverage is retailed in Canada's Maritime Provinces and northern areas in the state of Maine.
Upper 10 is a caffeine-free drink lemon-lime soft drink, similar to Sprite, Starry, and Bubble Up. It was bottled by RC Cola.
Kick was a citrus-flavored soft drink product by Royal Crown Company, Inc. introduced to the market in 1965.
The American Bottling Company, formerly Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group (1999–2006), Cadbury Schweppes Bottling Group (2006–2008), and Dr Pepper Snapple Bottling Group (2008), is the bottling company of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of that company. It is analogous to the bottling companies Pepsi Beverages Company and Coca-Cola Enterprises, the bottlers of its main competitors.
Peñafiel is a Mexican mineral water brand currently manufactured by Grupo Peñafiel, the Mexican subsidiary of Keurig Dr Pepper.
The Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, formerly known as Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, is a bottler of Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, and Canada Dry soft drinks in the New England region as well as almost the entirety of upstate New York. The Coca-Cola Company does not own an interest, as the company is 100% owned by Japan-based Kirin Brewery, who until 2018 also owned the rights to the Moxie soft drink nationwide.
Sunkist is a brand of primarily orange-flavored soft drinks that launched in 1979. Sunkist primarily competes with The Coca-Cola Company's Fanta brand and Keurig Dr Pepper's Orange Crush brand.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group was an American multinational soft drink company based in Plano, Texas. Since July 2018, it is a business unit of the publicly-traded conglomerate Keurig Dr Pepper.