Woodroofe facts for kids
Woodroofe (often called Woodies) is a popular brand of soft drinks made in South Australia. It has been around for a very long time and is well-loved by many people there.
The Story of Woodroofe
The Woodroofe company started way back in 1878. It was founded by William Woodroofe and Bruce Randall in a place called Norwood, South Australia. The factory was built near a natural spring, which provided fresh water for all their drinks.
Woodroofe was known for making new and exciting drinks. They were also very good at telling people about their products. This helped them become a successful local soft drink maker for over 100 years! Their most popular drink, then and now, is their delicious lemonade.
In the 1970s, bigger national companies and international brands like Coca-Cola became very popular. This made it harder for Woodroofe to keep its strong position in the market. The company was owned by the Woodroofe family for a long time. Later, two businessmen from Adelaide, Michael Harbison and Tim Hartley, bought the company.
They worked hard to make the business exciting again. They even introduced new flavours, like fruit-flavoured mineral water. For a short time, they also bottled RC Cola under a special agreement. Kathy Harbison, Michael's wife, was also very involved in running the company day-to-day.
In 1983, they made Woodroofe a public company, which meant people could buy shares in it on the Adelaide Stock Exchange. Later, the South Australian Brewing Company bought the soft drink part of the business. They then sold it to Cadbury Schweppes. Cadbury Schweppes closed the old factory in Norwood and moved production to their facility in Payneham. In 2009, a company called Asahi bought Schweppes.
Even today, Woodroofe soft drinks are still sold as a special local brand in South Australia. In 2016, Asahi/Schweppes closed the Payneham factory and moved their production to other cities like Melbourne and Perth.
What Flavours Does Woodroofe Make?
Woodroofe's most famous and loved flavour is its lemonade. For many years, their advertisements used the catchy slogan and song: "Still the best lemonade made." Many generations of South Australian parents would give their children Woodroofe's lemonade when they were feeling unwell, as it was a trusted and comforting drink.
Other special and unique flavours from Woodroofe include "Big Sars" sarsaparilla and "Sno-Top." Sno-Top is a brown, vanilla-flavoured cream soda. Woodroofe also makes a variety of fruit-flavoured drinks.
One flavour that is no longer made is Kola Beer. However, a similar drink is now produced by another company called Bickford's. In the 1960s, Woodroofe even made a chocolate-flavoured fizzy drink called Woc.
See also
