Nesbitt's facts for kids
Nesbitt's is a well-known brand of orange-flavored soft drink in the United States. The Nesbitt Fruit Products Company in Los Angeles, California, first made this soda. They also created other tasty soda flavors under the Nesbitt's name. These included grape, strawberry, and peach sodas.
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The Story of Nesbitt's
The Nesbitt Fruit Products Company began 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.
In the late 1930s, Nesbitt's started bottling its orange soda. This put them in competition with Orange Crush. Nesbitt's orange soda became very popular. It was the top-selling orange soda in the U.S. during the late 1940s and 1950s.
Famous Ads
In 1946, a young model named Marilyn Monroe appeared in Nesbitt's ads. The company even claimed to be the "Largest selling bottled orange drink in the world."
Changes Over Time
In the late 1960s, another soda called Fanta became more popular. Nesbitt's soda then slowly lost some of its fame. In 1972, The Clorox Company bought the Nesbitt's company. A few years later, in 1975, the part of the company that bottled the drinks was sold to Moxie Industries, Inc. This company later became Monarch Beverage.
What Happened Next
Moxie Industries owned Nesbitt's through the 1970s and 1980s. The brand name was then passed to different companies. Borden Inc. owned it in the late 1980s.
New Owners
In 1999, Big Red, Limited bought the Nesbitt's USA trademark. This company also owns the Big Red soda brand. Big Red, Ltd. mainly promotes its Nesbitt's California Honey Lemonade drink. However, they let smaller bottling companies across the U.S. make and sell other Nesbitt's sodas.
Retro Sodas
Orca Beverage, a company that makes old-fashioned sodas, now bottles Nesbitt’s Orange. They make it with cane sugar and natural flavors. You can also find Nesbitt's strawberry and peach sodas from them.
Recent News
In 2018, Keurig - Green Mountain joined with Pepsi - Dr. Pepper. This new company became Keurig Dr. Pepper. In 2021, the Nesbitt's brand was no longer listed on the Keurig Dr. Pepper website. Bottlers reported they could not get the ingredients for the soda. Keurig Dr. Pepper has said that the brand has been stopped.
Other Flavors
(These flavors are mostly found 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
