Tarax facts for kids
an advertisement c. 1960s for Tarax Soft Drinks
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| Type | Independent company |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Cadbury Schweppes |
| Country of origin | Australia |
Tarax is a well-known Australian brand of soft drink. It comes in many different flavours and is sold in cans and bottles.
The name Tarax used to belong to a company that made and bottled its own soft drinks. This company was based in Victoria.
Contents
The Story of Tarax
How Tarax Started
The Tarax story began with George Pethard Snr. (1855–1929). He was born in England and worked in a store in Numurkah, Victoria, Australia. In the late 1800s, he started a business selling a special herbal drink. It was like a "non-alcoholic beer" and was made without yeast. He called this drink "Taraxale".
The name "Tarax" comes from "taraxacum". This is the Latin name for the dandelion flower.
Growing the Business
George Pethard Jnr. (1885–1961) joined his father's business in 1898. In 1902, he moved to Bendigo and set up the business behind his home, "Taraxville," in Golden Square.
Between the two World Wars, the company grew a lot. They opened "Tarax Bars" all over Victoria. After World War II, Tarax decided to focus only on making regular fizzy soft drinks.
Awards and Recognition
In the 1950s, Tarax won an award from the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. They received this award for helping to create a special machine called a "flame spin sterilizer." This machine helped make drinks safer and last longer.
Popular Flavours
Tarax made many different soft drink flavours. Some of these included lemonade, orange, and lime (which they called "Limelite"). They also had kola, lemon, pineapple, and raspberry (called "Crimson"). Other flavours were root beer, bitter lemon, "Solo," and "Panda." They even made an American drink called "Dixi-Cola."
Tarax was most popular in the 1960s. During this time, it was one of the best-selling soft drink brands in Victoria.
Tarax Jingles
Tarax had fun jingles (short songs) in their advertisements. One famous jingle connected the brand with Australian Rules Football:
All the Top Men
Drink the Popular Ten,
Tarax Top Ten flavours.
Be a Top Man,
Drink a bottle or can.
Tarax Top Ten!
Another jingle was:
Oranges turn into Tarax,
Lovely lovely Tarax.
Oranges turn into Tarax,
The drink from the top of the tree.
Changes Over Time
New Ownership
In 1972, a big company called Cadbury Schweppes took over Tarax. However, they kept selling Tarax soft drinks. They wanted Tarax to be a local brand that went well with their national brands.
New Look and Ads
In the 1970s, the Tarax brand changed its image. They stopped making some flavours and brought in new ones like "Black Label" lemonade and orange. They had a big advertising campaign for "Black Label." Famous actresses like Abigail and later Pamela Gibbons appeared in these commercials.
While Tarax is not as popular as it was in the 1970s, you can still find it in stores today. It is mostly sold on supermarket shelves.
Images for kids
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An advertisement for Tarax Soft Drinks from around the 1960s.
