Polar Beverages facts for kids
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| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Beverages |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Headquarters | Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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Key people
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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 company that makes and sells soft drinks. It is based in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. They make sparkling fruit drinks, seltzer, ginger ale, and spring water. They also make special drink mixers. Polar Beverages is the biggest independent company in the U.S. that bottles soft drinks.
The company sells drinks under its main name, Polar Beverages. They also have other brands like Adirondack Beverages, Polar Seltzer, and Cape Cod Dry. Besides their own drinks, Polar also bottles and distributes popular national brands for other companies, such as Keurig Dr Pepper. Polar Beverages has two bottling factories and six places where they distribute their drinks. They also provide water services for businesses and vending machines for drinks.
Polar Beverages is a family-owned business that has been around for a very long time. It started in 1882 and is now run by Ralph Crowley Jr. He is the great-grandson of the person who founded the company, Dennis M. Crowley.
Contents
The Story of Polar Beverages
Polar Beverages was started by Dennis Mark "Boss" Crowley, who was Ralph Crowley Jr.'s great-grandfather. The business first 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 against the law to sell alcohol in the United States. So, Polar stopped selling whiskey. Instead, they started making and selling carbonated drinks. These included sparkling waters, ginger ales, and other fizzy drinks. The company is still an important part of the business community in Worcester.
Delicious Drinks and Flavors
Polar Beverages makes many drinks with natural fruit flavors. They even have a special person who creates new drink mixes. This person comes up with five special limited-edition flavors twice a year.
Polar Seltzer
Polar Seltzer is one of their most popular drinks. It comes in many different flavors, such as:
- Cranberry Lime
- Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Georgia Peach
- Mandarin
- Raspberry Lime
- Black Cherry
- Lemon
- Lime
- Pomegranate
Seltzer JR
This line of seltzers has fun, kid-friendly names for its flavors:
- Werewolf Howls
- Unicorn Kisses
- Yeti Mischief
- Mermaid Songs
- Pixie Lights
- Dragon Whispers
Expedition: Flavor
These flavors are made for a taste adventure:
- Clementine Bramble
- Nectarine Lemon
- Cranberry Raspberry
- Apple Pom Bomb
- Island Blueberry
- Blood Orange Punch
Limited Edition Flavors
Polar often releases special flavors that are only available for a short time, usually in summer and winter. Some of these flavors might even return in later years. For example, in Summer 2025, they had Passionfruit-O-Guava and Poolside Grape Pops. In Winter 2024, they offered Nectarine Grapefruit and Spiced Pear.
Seltzer'ade
This combines seltzer with lemonade or limeade flavors:
- Coconut Limeade
- Pineapple Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Raspberry Pink Lemonade
- Watermelon Lemonade
Mixers
Polar also makes mixers that people can use to create other drinks:
- Tonic Water
- Club Soda
- Ginger Ale
- Half & Half
Polar FROST
These drinks offer a refreshing, frosty taste:
- Arctic Twist
- Black Raspberry
- Kiwi Strawberry
- Lemon Lime
- Orange Mango
Polar Sparkling Soda
These are classic sodas with a fizzy kick:
- Birch Beer
- Cream Soda
- Root Beer
- Black Cherry
- Raspberry Lime
Polar Spring Water
Besides all the flavored drinks, Polar also provides pure spring water.
Working with Keurig Dr Pepper
In July 2020, Polar Beverages started working with Keurig Dr Pepper. This partnership helped Polar sell its drinks to even more people across the entire country. Even with this partnership, the Crowley family still owns Polar Beverages. They also get to use Keurig's delivery and marketing network.
Orson the Bear: Polar's Mascot
A friendly polar bear named Orson has been the company's mascot since 1902. If you drive near I-290 in Worcester, you might see a giant inflatable Orson bear. He smiles and "waves" to everyone passing by. This huge bear is tied down with wires to keep him safe during bad weather and to stop him from being taken. Sometimes, college groups have even tried to play pranks by taking Orson!
Sports and Community Support
Polar Beverages supports different sports and community events.
- Polar Seltzer is an official drink of US Sailing, which is a group that promotes sailing in the United States.
- Polar is also the main sponsor for Polar Park in Worcester. This is the home baseball field for the Worcester Red Sox team. The Worcester Red Sox are a minor league team connected to the famous Boston Red Sox.
See also
- Polar Park (baseball park)
