Wests (drink)

Last updated

Wests NZ Limited
Industry Manufacturing, Retail
Founded1876
Headquarters,
Products Cordial, Soft drinks, Milkshakes
Website wests.co.nz
Wests Chocolade - one of the unusual flavours for which this brand is known. Westschocolade.jpg
Wests Chocolade - one of the unusual flavours for which this brand is known.

Wests NZ is a manufacturer of soft drinks and cordials based in Dunedin, New Zealand. [1] It is the oldest continuous manufacturer of soft drinks in New Zealand. [2]

Contents

History

Wests began production in 1876 when Tom West created a range of cordials [1] in the back of his grocery store in Maclaggan Street, Dunedin. [3] These proved popular with the city’s inhabitants and provided growth for the fledgling business. Production expanded to include ginger beer in 1906, and in 1914 a purpose-built factory was constructed in Saint Kilda in the south of the city. [3]

The business was owned by Alf and Kaye Loretan from 2007, before they sold it to Angela and Craig McFarlane in 2021. [1]

Products

Wests today produces soft drinks and cordials in a range of flavours, many of them unique to the brand.[ citation needed ] These include Chocolade (chocolate-flavoured lemonade), RedZenergy (Energy drink), Cola and Raspberry, and Pineapple and Pear. Wests also produce milkshake and slushy syrups, as well as postmix concentrates and soda syrup refills in a large variety of flavours.[ citation needed ]

Sugar Free

Many of Wests' regular soft drink flavours are also offered in sugar-free varieties, which has led to the company offering New Zealand's largest range of sugar-free soft drinks. [3] Diet milkshake as well as soda syrup flavours have recently also been added to the companies Sugar Free Range.[ citation needed ]

Factory shop

Located next to the production factory, Wests Factory shop offers the range of Wests' products as well as general convenience store products.

See also

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">Ribena</span> Blackcurrant-based drink

Ribena is a brand of blackcurrant-based soft drink, and fruit drink concentrate designed to be mixed with water. It is available in bottles, cans and multi-packs. Originally of English origin, it was produced by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) until 2013, when the brand was sold to Japanese beverage conglomerate Suntory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ginger ale</span> Soft drink flavoured with ginger

Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph Cantrell. The dry style, a paler drink with a much milder ginger flavour, was created by Canadian John McLaughlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milkshake</span> Cold dairy beverage

A milkshake is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may also be made using a base made from non-dairy products, including plant milks such as almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk. Dry ingredients such as whole fruit, nuts, seeds, candy, or cookies may be incorporated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squash (drink)</span> Non-alcoholic concentrated syrup

Squash, is a non-alcoholic beverage with syrup used in beverage making. It is usually fruit-flavoured, made from fruit juice, water, and sugar or a sugar substitute. Modern squashes may also contain food colouring and additional flavouring. Some traditional squashes contain herbal extracts, most notably elderflower and ginger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream soda</span> Soft drink

Cream soda is a sweet soft drink. Generally flavored with vanilla and based on the taste of an ice cream float, a wide range of variations can be found worldwide.

Rose's lime juice, often known simply as Rose's, is a sweetened concentrated fruit juice patented in 1867. This was the world's first commercially produced fruit concentrate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiwiana</span> Certain items and icons from New Zealands heritage

Kiwiana are certain items and icons from New Zealand's heritage, especially from around the middle of the 20th century, that are seen as representing iconic New Zealand elements. These "quirky things that contribute to a sense of nationhood" include both genuine cultural icons and kitsch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vimto</span> British soft drink

Vimto is a British mixed fruit soft drink containing the juice of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants, flavoured with herbs and spices. Originating in Manchester, northern England, it was first manufactured as a health tonic in cordial form then decades later as a carbonated drink, and the recipe was invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols of Blackburn. Produced domestically by Nichols plc, it is available in cans and bottles in carbonated, still and cordial (squash) forms, and it has also been made into a sweet, ice lolly and other items. Vimto is traditionally most popular in the north of England and is also sold globally under license, and enjoys high popularity in the Arab Gulf countries and in The Gambia and Senegal.

<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">Hamoud Boualem</span> Algerian soft drink manufacturing company

Hamoud Boualem is an Algerian soft drink manufacturing company, producing fizzy drinks popular in Algeria and exported to France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Founded in 1878 with its first factory in the Belcourt neighborhood of Algiers, it is among the country's oldest companies. Its products include sodas such as "Selecto", "Hamoud", "Slim", and various flavors of syrup. Its head offices are located at in central Algiers.

Kia-Ora is a concentrated fruit soft drink brand, made by Atlantic Industries and licensed for manufacturing in Ireland and up to 2019 in the UK by Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd. The juice drink is sold in a concentrated state.

Trend Drinks was a manufacturer of soft drinks in Gladstone in the Southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia from 1876 until 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elderflower cordial</span> A kind of soft drink

Elderflower cordial is a soft drink made largely from a refined sugar and water solution and uses the flowers of the European elder. Historically, the cordial was popular in Northwestern Europe where it has a Victorian heritage. However, versions of an elderflower cordial recipe can be traced to Roman times. In the 21st century, it is consumed in many countries of Europe where people still make it in the traditional way. In some countries, the drink can be found as an aromatic syrup, sold as a concentrated squash that is mixed with still or sparkling water. Elderflower pressé is a premixed form of this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparletta</span> Soft drink from South Africa

Sparletta is a range of soft drink products manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company in South Africa and Zimbabwe. It was invented by Thomas Cook and at his Standerton Coca-Cola factory in 1953. He also owned the Nigel Coca-Cola factory and the Witbank Coca-Cola factory.

Schweppes Australia is the non-alcohol business of Asahi Breweries operating in Australia. It is now known as Asahi Lifestyle Beverage having originally arrived in the country in 1850. In 1877, the first factory was built in Sydney. After an international merger with Cadbury in 1969, forming Cadbury Schweppes, the company was eventually re-separated on 27 February 2009 and, in April 2009, Schweppes Australia was acquired by Asahi Breweries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepsi-Cola Made with Real Sugar</span> Soft drink brand

Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop Made with Real Sugar, originally named Pepsi Throwback and Pepsi Made with Real Sugar and still branded that way in some international markets, is a soft drink sold by PepsiCo. The drink is flavored with cane sugar and beet sugar instead of the sugar substitute high-fructose corn syrup that has been used in the standard version of Pepsi within North America since the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bickford's Australia</span> Australian beverage manufacturer

Bickford's Australia Pty. Ltd. is an Australian beverage manufacturer based in South Australia. The brand produces traditional cordials, soft drinks, and iced coffee mix originally manufactured by A. M. Bickford & Sons, a pharmaceutical chemist founded by Anne Margaret Bickford in 1864. In 1999, the brandname was acquired by the Kotses family and later renamed Bickford's Australia, after which the brand saw a revival in popularity with the introduction of new flavours and products. In 2006, Bickford's lime juice cordial was recognised by the National Trust of South Australia as a Heritage Icon.

Night 'n Day is a chain of New Zealand grocery stores. The stores operate long hours, and sell a range of ready-to-eat products.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Cordial 'custodian' moving on", Otago Daily Times, 19 July 2021, archived from the original on 19 July 2021, retrieved 2 February 2024
  2. "Kiwi beverage maker Wests Cordials seeks new owner", NZ Herald, 29 November 2019, retrieved 2 February 2024
  3. 1 2 3 "Dunedin company enjoys taste of longevity", Otago Daily Times, 18 March 2014, retrieved 2 February 2024