Nesbitt's facts for kids
Nesbitt's is a well-known brand of soft drink that tastes like orange. It was first sold in the United States. The company that made it was called the Nesbitt Fruit Products Company. They were located in Los Angeles, California. Besides orange, Nesbitt's also made other yummy flavors. These included grape, strawberry, and peach sodas.
Contents
The History of Nesbitt's Soda
The Nesbitt Fruit Products Company started in 1924. It was named after its founder, Hugh S. Nesbitt. The Nesbitt's brand first appeared in 1927. At first, it was sold at soda fountains, like a special drink you'd get mixed there.
How Nesbitt's Became Popular
In the late 1930s, Nesbitt's began putting its orange soda into bottles. This meant it started competing with other popular drinks. One big competitor was Orange Crush. Nesbitt's orange soda became very popular in the United States. It was the top-selling orange soda in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Famous advertisements helped Nesbitt's grow. In 1946, a young model named Marilyn Monroe appeared in their ads. Nesbitt's even claimed to be the "Largest selling bottled orange drink in the world."
Changes for the Nesbitt's Brand
Later, in the late 1960s, another orange soda called Fanta became more popular. Nesbitt's started to fade away. In 1972, a company called The Clorox Company bought Nesbitt's. Then, in 1975, the part of the company that bottled the drinks was sold to Moxie Industries, Inc. This company later became Monarch Beverage.
The Return and Legacy of Nesbitt's
Moxie Industries owned Nesbitt's through the 1970s and 1980s. The right to use the Nesbitt's brand name changed hands several times. For example, Borden Inc. owned it for a while in the late 1980s.
Who Owns Nesbitt's Now?
In 1999, a company called Big Red, Limited bought the Nesbitt's USA trademark. This company also owns the Big Red soda brand. Even though Big Red, Ltd. mainly promotes its Nesbitt's California Honey Lemonade, they let smaller bottling companies across the U.S. make and sell Nesbitt's sodas.
A company called Orca Beverage also makes a bottled version of Nesbitt’s Orange. This version uses cane sugar and natural flavors. They also make Nesbitt's strawberry and peach sodas.
Nesbitt's in Music
A music group called Negativland released a song in 1987. It was called "Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song." The song was about someone who got upset when a bee flew into their soda.
Nesbitt's Around the World
Outside the U.S., Monarch Beverages owns and distributes Nesbitt's sodas.
Recent Updates on Nesbitt's
In 2018, Keurig - Green Mountain merged with Pepsi - Dr. Pepper. This new company became Keurig Dr. Pepper. They owned North American Beverages, which included Nesbitt's.
However, by 2021, the Nesbitt's brand was not listed on the Keurig Dr. Pepper website. Bottlers reported that they could no longer get the special syrup needed to make the drink. When people called Keurig Dr. Pepper, they were told that the Nesbitt's brand had been stopped.
For the most up-to-date information, you can visit the Nesbitt's Orange Memorabilia Facts Page. This page is updated more often than this article.
Nesbitt's Soda Flavors
(These flavors were available outside the U.S.)
- Nesbitt's Orange
- Nesbitt's Apple
- Nesbitt's Pineapple
- Nesbitt's Sweet Red
- Nesbitt's Grape
- Nesbitt's Black Currant
- Nesbitt's Still Honey Lemonade
- Nesbitt's Still Kiwi Strawberry
- Nesbitt's Splash Lemon Cola
