RC Cola facts for kids
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| Type | Cola |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Country of origin | Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Introduced | 1905 |
| Color | Caramel |
| Flavor | Cola, Cherry Cola, Orange, Lemon Lime |
| Variants | RC Cola RC No Sugar Royal Crown Cola Mighty Rain RC Q RC Refresher Double Caffeine Rad Rain RC Neo RC Flavor Collection RC Cherry Cola RC Diet Cola |
RC Cola, also known as Royal Crown Cola, is a popular fizzy drink with a cola flavor. In the United States, it's owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. Around the world, it's managed by RC Global Beverages, Inc.
The very first drink in the RC family was Royal Crown Ginger Ale. Over the years, RC Cola changed its name a few times, like Chero-Cola and Nehi, Inc. It finally became Royal Crown after its founder, Claud A. Hatcher, passed away. More flavors were added, such as lemon, strawberry, and even a version made with cane sugar. In the 1950s, Royal Crown was a leader in the drink industry. It was the first company to sell soft drinks in a can. Later, it also introduced the first cola without caffeine. In 1958, RC Cola became available in bigger 16-ounce bottles.
In 2023, a company called Macay Holdings bought the international part of RC Cola's business.
The Story of RC Cola
In 1901, a grocery store called Cole-Hampton-Hatcher Grocery Store opened in Columbus, Georgia. By 1903, the Hatcher family owned it completely and changed the name to Hatcher Grocery Store. At that time, bottled soft drinks were becoming very popular. Grocery store owners wanted to make more money from them.
Claud A. Hatcher, who owned the grocery store, bought a lot of Coca-Cola syrup from a local salesman named Columbus Roberts. Hatcher thought he should get a special lower price because he bought so much syrup. But Roberts wouldn't lower the price. This caused a big disagreement between them. Hatcher told Roberts he would never buy Coca-Cola again. He decided to create his own soft drink recipe instead. He started making drinks in the basement of his store. His first recipe was for ginger ale.
Hatcher started his own bottling company, Union Bottling Works, right in his family's grocery store. The first drink in the Royal Crown series was Royal Crown Ginger Ale in 1905. After that came Royal Crown Strawberry and Royal Crown Root Beer. In 1907, a cherry-flavored cola called Chero-Cola was introduced. The company later changed its name to Chero-Cola in 1910.
In 1924, they launched a new fruit-flavored drink called Nehi. This led to the company changing its name again in 1925, to Nehi, Inc. After Claud A. Hatcher died in 1933, a chemist named Rufus Kamm improved the Chero-Cola recipe in 1934. The company then brought back the "Royal Crown" name to launch Royal Crown Cola. The company itself changed its name from Nehi, Inc. to Royal Crown Cola Company in 1951.
In the 1950s, Royal Crown Cola and Moon Pies were a popular and affordable lunch for many workers in the American South. In 1954, Royal Crown was the first company to sell soft drinks in a can. Later, it was also the first to use an aluminum can. In 1962, the company introduced the first diet cola, called Diet Rite.
During the 1970s, Royal Crown Cola Company started selling its drinks in more countries, including places in Asia and Europe. In 1976, the company even bought the fast-food chain Arby's.
In 1980, RC 100 was launched. This was a cola without caffeine or sugar. In 1984, new flavors like Cherry RC and Diet RC were introduced.
In 1993, Triarc Companies, Inc. bought Royal Crown Cola Company. This helped the company spend more money on advertising. In 1995, Royal Crown Draft Cola was released. It was a special cola made with pure cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. It also used the best Kola nuts and natural flavors. This drink was later stopped in most places, but it's still available in some countries like New Zealand and Australia. The company also launched Cherry RC to compete with other cherry-flavored colas.
In 2000, Royal Crown was bought by Cadbury Schweppes. Later, Cadbury Schweppes' US drink business, including RC, became its own company called "Dr Pepper Snapple Group" in 2008. In 2018, this group joined with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper, who now own the RC Cola brand in the US.
In 2001, all RC-branded businesses outside the US were sold to Cott Beverages of Canada. This part of the business started operating as Royal Crown Cola International. In 2021, Cott sold Royal Crown Cola International to another company called Refresco.
In 2012, RC Cola introduced Jeera, a refreshing soda with a cumin taste, made especially for markets in South-Central Asia. In 2022, RC Double Caffeine was launched, which has extra caffeine for more energy. In 2023, the RC Flavor Collection came out with new tastes like vanilla, lime, apple, coffee, marshmallow, and winter spice. Also in 2023, RC Berries and Cream was a special limited-time flavor.
RC Cola Products
RC Cola has made many different drinks over the years. Here are some of them:
- RC Ginger Ale (1905): A ginger ale drink.
- RC Strawberry (1907): A strawberry-flavored drink.
- RC Root Beer (1907): A root beer drink.
- Chero-Cola (1910): A cola with a cherry flavor.
- Nehi (1924): A range of fruit-flavored drinks like orange, grape, and peach.
- RC Cola (1934): The classic RC Cola.
- Diet Rite (1958): The very first diet cola. It was first sold to people who needed special diets, then to everyone in 1962.
- Diet Rite (1962): A diet RC Cola without sodium.
- Kick (1965): A citrus-flavored soft drink.
- RC Cola Lemon (1974): RC Cola with a lemon flavor.
- RC 100 (1980): The first RC Cola without caffeine.
- RC 100 Sugar-Free (1980): Also caffeine-free.
- Decaffeinated RC Cola (1981): Another caffeine-free option.
- Diet Rite Flavors (1984): Diet Rite with different flavors.
- Cherry RC (1984): RC Cola with a cherry flavor.
- RC Draft Cola (1995): A special cola made with cane sugar.
- RC Edge (1999): A cola with extra caffeine.
- RC Cola Zero/RC Cola Free (2009): A no-calorie, no-sugar RC Cola.
- RC Kick (2010): RC Cola with guarana for energy.
- Jeera (2012): A soda with a cumin taste, for South-Central Asian markets.
- RC Dra-Cola (2012): A sugar-free, red cola for Halloween in the UK.
- RC Ten (2012): A low-calorie version of the cola.
- Diet RC Cola Lemon (2016): A diet cola with lemon flavor.
- Diet Cherry RC (2016): A diet cola with cherry flavor.
- Royal Crown Cola Classic/Slim (2018): Rebranded versions of the classic.
- RC Cola Double Caffeine (2022): RC Cola with double the caffeine.
- RC Flavor Extensions (2023): New flavors like vanilla, lime, apple, coffee, marshmallow, and winter spice.
- RC Cola Berries and Cream (2023): A limited-time flavor mixing cola with berries and cream.
Advertising Campaigns
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RC Cola has had many different advertising campaigns over the years. In the 1930s, they used the slogan "The season's best." In 1940, they ran a campaign with Hollywood stars saying, "Best By Taste Test." Actress Lizabeth Scott was featured with the slogan "RC tastes best, says Lizabeth Scott."
In 1966, Royal Crown Cola worked with Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets. They made ads featuring two bird puppets named Sour Bird and Nutty Bird to promote the drinks.
Nancy Sinatra, a famous singer, appeared in RC Cola commercials in 1967. She sang, "It's a mad, mad, mad Cola...RC the one with the mad, mad taste!...RC!" The company also sponsored the New York Mets baseball team for many years. A TV commercial in New York showed Mets pitcher Tom Seaver and his wife dancing and singing the song from the Sinatra campaign.
In the mid-1970s, Royal Crown used "Me & My RC" advertisements. These ads often showed people in beautiful outdoor places. The jingle, sung by Louise Mandrell, said, "Me and my RC / Me and my RC /'Cause what's good enough / For other folks / Ain't good enough for Me and My RC..."
When RC was introduced in Israel in 1995, the slogan was "RC: Just like in America!" During the "Cola Wars" of the 1980s, when Coke and Pepsi were battling for sales, RC used the campaign "Decide for yourself" and reminded people, "There's more to your life than Coke and Pepsi."
In the Philippines, RC Cola has featured popular artists in its ads. In 2009, Maja Salvador and Kim Bum were celebrity endorsers. In 2019, Joshua Garcia was featured in the "RC ng Bayan" campaign. In 2020, RC Cola had a very famous and funny campaign called Basta. This ad won many awards, including a bronze award at the Cannes Lion in 2021.
Andretti Autosport race car driver Marco Andretti had RC Cola as his main sponsor for his car in 2012 and 2013. In 2022, RC Cola launched its "WHY NOT?" campaign. This campaign showed three adults being taken to a world of imagination after drinking RC Cola.
