A-Treat Bottling Company facts for kids
| Private | |
| Industry | Beverage |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Headquarters |
Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|
|
Area served
|
Northeastern United States |
| Products | Carbonated soft drinks |
| Revenue |  $10 million (1998) |
The A-Treat Bottling Company was a company that made and bottled soft drinks. It was based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A-Treat stopped making drinks for a short time in 2015. But then, a company called Jaindl Companies bought the brand. This allowed A-Treat to start making its popular drinks again.
Contents
History of A-Treat Soda
How A-Treat Started
A-Treat was started by the Munjone family. Their father, Gioacchino Egizio, began a drink business from his home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Later, he built a small factory behind his house. His wife, Vincenza Munjone, also came from a family that made drinks in Allentown.
In 1932, the Egizio brothers moved the business. They set up their factory on Union Boulevard in East Allentown. This is where the company stayed for many years. Joseph C. Egizio was in charge of A-Treat Bottling Co. until he retired in 1989. He passed away in 2000. John L. Egizio started working at the company when he was only 13. He delivered sodas on his bicycle! He later became a co-owner until he passed away in 1990.
A False Rumor and A-Treat's Return
In 1991, A-Treat was in the news because of a false rumor. Someone spread untrue stories about A-Treat sodas. These stories claimed the drinks were made by a hate group and contained harmful things. This happened when A-Treat tried to sell its sodas in New York City.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the New York City Department of Health investigated these claims. They found that the rumors were completely false and had no truth to them.
On July 21, 2015, good news came for A-Treat fans. The Jaindl Companies bought the A-Treat brand. This included its name, logos, and secret recipes. A deal was made with The Coca-Cola Company to keep making the drinks in the Lehigh Valley. Production was set to start again in August 2015.
A poll was held to pick the first flavors to be released. Orange Cream won unexpectedly. It got 17% of the votes. It was later found that one person had voted many times. But, Black Cherry came in second with 8% of the votes. Both Orange Cream and Black Cherry were then made. Eight other popular flavors also returned. These included Birch Beer, Cream, Big Blue, Ginger Ale, Sarsaparilla, Orange, Root Beer, and Grapefruit. A-Treat Grapefruit was the very first soda made when A-Treat returned in 2015.
On May 20, 2016, A-Treat launched Orange Cream. This was its first new flavor in over six years.
A-Treat's Delicious Products
A-Treat used to make its sodas in a special way. They used natural essential oils and cane sugar. This was different from many other companies. Over time, the company started using both cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
A-Treat made soft drinks in at least 16 different flavors. Some of these included:
- Big Blue (blue raspberry)
- Birch Beer
- Black Cherry
- Champagne Kola
- Cola
- Cream soda
- Fruit Punch
- Two kinds of Ginger Ale (Pale Dry and Golden)
- Grape
- Grapefruit
- White Birch Beer
- Pineapple
- Sarsaparilla
- Two kinds of Orange (regular and Orange Dry)
- Lime
- Tonic Water
- Strawberry
- Treat-up
- Root Beer
Most of these flavors were also made in a diet version. A-Treat Birch Beer and Sarsaparilla are especially liked by people who enjoy these types of drinks.
Where You Can Find A-Treat
A-Treat drinks are sold in several states. You can find them in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. They are even sold as far away as Bermuda!
