Polar Beverages facts for kids
 |
|
| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Beverages |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Headquarters | Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
|
Key people
|
Ralph Crowley Jr. Christopher Crowley James (Jeff) Crowley David Crowley |
| Products | Polar Seltzers, Sodas and Mixers |
| Brands | Adirondack Beverages Polar Seltzer Cape Cod Dry |
Polar Beverages is a popular company that makes soft drinks. It's based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They create and sell many kinds of bubbly drinks, like sparkling fruit beverages, seltzer, ginger ale, and spring water. You can find their products all over the United States. Polar Beverages is actually the biggest independent soft-drink bottler in the country!
They sell drinks under their main name, Polar Beverages, and also under other names like Adirondack Beverages, Polar Seltzer, and Cape Cod Dry. Besides their own drinks, Polar also bottles and delivers drinks for other big companies, such as Keurig Dr Pepper. The company has two places where they bottle drinks and six places where they send them out. They also offer water services for businesses and vending machines for drinks.
This company has been owned by the same family for four generations, going all the way back to 1882. Today, it's run by Ralph Crowley Jr., who is the great-grandson of the person who started it, Dennis M. Crowley.
Contents
History of Polar Beverages
Polar Beverages was started by Dennis Mark "Boss" Crowley, who was Ralph Crowley Jr.'s great-grandfather. The business began in the 1880s as a company that sold liquor. In 1916, the company changed its name to Polar.
During a time called Prohibition, it became illegal to sell alcohol in the U.S. So, Polar stopped selling whiskey. Instead, they started making and selling bubbly drinks like flavored waters, ginger ales, and drys. The company is still an important part of the business community in Worcester today.
Delicious Products and Flavors
Polar Beverages makes many drinks with natural fruit flavors. They even have a special person on their team, called a "drink mixologist," who creates five new limited-edition flavors twice a year. This means there are always exciting new tastes to try!
Popular Polar Seltzer Flavors
Polar Seltzer has a huge variety of flavors. Here are just a few of the many options:
- Cranberry Clementine
- Pineapple Pomelo
- Toasted Coconut
- Cranberry Lime
- Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Georgia Peach
- Mandarin
- Triple Berry
- Vanilla
- Raspberry Lime
Seltzer JR for Kids
Polar also makes a fun line of seltzers just for kids, called Seltzer JR. These have playful names and flavors:
- Werewolf Howls
- Unicorn Kisses
- Yeti Mischief
- Mermaid Songs
- Pixie Lights
- Dragon Whispers
Expedition: Flavor Drinks
The Expedition: Flavor line offers unique and adventurous tastes:
- Clementine Bramble
- Nectarine Lemon
- Cranberry Raspberry
- Apple Pom Bomb
- Island Blueberry
- Blood Orange Punch
Seasonal Limited Edition Flavors
Polar often releases special limited-edition flavors for summer and winter. These are only available for a short time! Some popular ones that often return include:
- Papaya Breeze
- Seaside Watermelon Punch
- Raspberry Limoncello
- Black Cherry Vanilla
- Pomegranate Champagne
- Dragon Fruit Lemonade
Seltzer'ade Flavors
Seltzer'ade combines the fizz of seltzer with the sweet and tangy taste of lemonade or limeade:
- Coconut Limeade
- Pineapple Lemonade
- Blood Orange Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Starfruit Lemonade
Mixers for Drinks
Polar also makes mixers that you can use to create your own drinks. These include:
- Tonic Water
- Club Soda
- Ginger Ale
- Vichy Water
- Bitter Lemon
Polar FROST Drinks
Polar FROST drinks offer a different kind of sparkling experience:
- Arctic Twist
- Black Raspberry
- Kiwi Strawberry
- Lemon Lime
- Lemonade
Polar Sparkling Dry
This line includes sparkling drinks with a "dry" taste, like:
- Pink Grapefruit Dry
- Orange Dry
Polar Sparkling Soda
Polar makes classic sodas too, with flavors such as:
- Birch Beer
- Cream Soda
- Root Beer
- Black Cherry
Polar Classic Cane Sugar Soda
For those who like a traditional soda taste, these are made with real cane sugar:
- Orange Cream
- Black Cherry
- Root Beer
- Vanilla Cream
Working with Keurig
In July 2020, Polar Beverages teamed up with another big company, Keurig Dr Pepper. This partnership helps Polar sell its drinks to even more people across the entire country. The Crowley family still owns Polar, but now they can use Keurig's delivery and marketing system to reach a wider audience.
Meet Orson the Bear
A friendly polar bear named Orson has been the company's official mascot since 1902! If you drive near I-290 in Worcester, you might see a giant inflatable Orson next to the company's billboard. He looks like he's smiling and waving to everyone passing by. This huge bear is tied down with wires to keep him safe during bad weather and to stop anyone from trying to take him. Sometimes, college groups have even tried to play pranks by stealing Orson!
Company Sponsorships
Polar Beverage's Seltzer drinks are the official beverage of US Sailing. This means they have a special partnership to support sailing events for three years, starting in 2024.
See also
- Polar Park (baseball park)
