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Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks marketed by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, a unit of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Canada Dry is best known for its ginger ale, but also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers. Although Canada Dry originated in its namesake country, Canada, it is now produced in many countries around the globe, and is very popular in the United States and the Middle East. Canada Dry is marketed as "Schweppes Canada Dry" in the UK and Ireland.
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History
In 1890, Canadian pharmacist and chemist John J. McLaughlin of Enniskillen, Ontario opened a carbonated water plant in Toronto. In 1904, he created Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale. When McLaughlin began shipping his product to New York in 1919, it became so popular that he opened a plant in Manhattan shortly thereafter. After J.J.'s death, the company was run briefly by Sam. P. D. Saylor and Associates (they bought the business from Sam McLaughlin) and Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Inc. was born.
John J. McLaughlin was the oldest son of Robert McLaughlin, founder of McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car, located in Oshawa, Ontario. It was the largest such business in the British Empire. His two brothers, Robert Samuel "Colonel Sam" McLaughlin, and George William McLaughlin took control of their father's firm and steered it into the automobile business — a move which resulted in it becoming General Motors Canada in 1916. However, John also enjoyed considerable success in his own business.
In 1907 the drink was appointed to the Royal Household of the Governor General of Canada, seeing the change in the label from a beaver atop a map of Canada to the present Crown and shield.
Canada Dry's popularity as a mixer began during Prohibition, when its flavor helped mask the taste of homemade liquor[citation needed]. In the 1930s, Canada Dry expanded worldwide, and from the 1950s onward, the company introduced a larger number of products. The Chief Chemist from 1940's through 1970's was Franklin M. Gray, from Toronto, Ontario.
Ownership
Norton Simon took a interest in the company in 1964, and it merged with Simon's other holdings, the McCall Corporation and Hunt Foods, to form Norton Simon Inc. Dr. Pepper bought Canada Dry from Norton Simon in 1982. In 1984, Dr. Pepper was acquired by Forstmann Little & Company, and Canada Dry was sold to R. J. Reynolds' Del Monte Foods unit to pay off acquisition debt. RJR Nabisco sold its soft drink business to Cadbury Schweppes in 1986. Today, Canada Dry is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which spun out of Cadbury Schweppes in 2008, but the ginger ale bottles often bear a map of Canada as part of the beverage's logo.
Products
Canada Dry Ginger Ale is the most popular of Canada Dry's products, and probably the most well recognized brand of ginger ale in North America.
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale
- Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale
- Canada Dry "Dry" Ginger Ale (Japan)
- Canada Dry Club Soda
- Canada Dry Cola (Syria)
- Canada Dry Tonic Water
- Canada Dry Bitter Lemon
- Canada Dry Diet Tonic Water
- Canada Dry Lemon Soda
- Canada Dry Tahitian Treat (now just Tahitian Treat)
- Canada Dry Spur Cola, Hi-Spot, Apple, Tutti (cherry and fruit punch), Wink, and Orange (retired from Panama)
- Canada Dry Golden Cockerel Ginger Beer
- Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
- Sussex Golden Ginger Ale
- Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale
- Cranberry Ginger Ale
- Diet Cranberry Ginger Ale
- Lemon Ginger Ale (retired)
- Canada Dry Flavored Sparkling Seltzer Water (Orange, Lime, Raspberry, Cherry)
- Canada Dry Cream Soda (Limited availability in US and Kuwait)
- Pineapple Canada Dry (limited US availability)
- Peach Canada Dry (limited US availability)
- Black Cherry Wishniak (limited US availability)
- Island Lime (limited US availability)
- Wild Cherry (limited US availability, only available in 2-litre bottles. Bright red colour as opposed to a deep red/purple hue for the Black Cherry Wishniak)
- Pink Grapefruit Canada Dry (available in Peru only)
At one time, Canada Dry also produced a wider range of flavored sodas, including orange, grape, Jamaica Cola, Cactus Cooler, and Sport Cola (caffeine-free), but many of these are no longer available.
The limited availability flavors are produced in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey by Pepsi-Cola/National Brand Beverages, and are distributed in southern New Jersey, Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania, and eastern Maryland. At one time the flavors all had uniquely designed labels, but now all use the standard Canada Dry crest logo.
References
- Robertson, H (1995). "Driving Force", McLLeland and Stewart Inc.
External links
- Canada Dry
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale Dry Japan
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