Snapple
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Snapple is a company based in Rye Brook, New York that produces a variety of beverages which are sold in glass bottles, soda-style cans, and plastic bottles. Snapple was founded by Hyman Golden, Arnold Greenberg and Leonard Marsh in Valley Stream, New York on Long Island in 1972. The word "Snapple" is derived from a carbonated apple soda. Currently, there are four different types of Snapple: Tea, Juice Drinks, Lemonade, and Diet.
Snapple's slogan on its label, "Made from the best stuff on earth," is a reference to its usage of all-natural ingredients.
Snapple's original label, with an old picture of the Boston Tea Party as background, was completely redesigned after false rumors arose claiming the picture showed a slave ship.Image:Snapple Bottles.jpg
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[edit] History
Leonard Marsh, Hyman Golden, and Arnold Greenberg created the Snapple brand in 1972[1]. Initially apple soda was the single product offered, leading to the name Snapple. Soon, fruit drinks were introduced to health clubs and the company created the name The Unadulterated Food Corporation, later changing it to The Snapple Beverage Corporation. In 1987, the iced tea flavor was introduced and a year later the company expanded distribution into New England and California with the help of appearances on The Howard Stern Show. Wendy the Snapple Lady was also introduced to the advertising team as a straight-talking, average, American spokesperson. After sales reached into the tens of millions and started quadrupling every year, the original founders sold the company to a Boston investment firm at which point it was taken public.
[edit] Flavors
Teas [2]
- Lemon Tea
- Caffeine Free Lemon Tea
- Just Plain Tea Unsweetened
- Lime Green Tea
- Mint Tea
- Raspberry Tea
- Peach Tea
- Very Cherry Tea
- Kiwi Teawi
- White Tea-Green Apple
- White Tea-Nectarine
- White Tea-Raspberry
- Green Tea
Diets [3]
- Diet Lemon Tea
- Diet Lime Green Tea
- Diet Peach Tea
- Diet Raspberry Tea
- Diet Plum-A-Granate Tea
- Diet Lemonade Iced Tea
- Diet Cranberry Raspberry
- Diet Kiwi Strawberry
- Diet Snapple Apple
- Diet Orange Carrot
- Diet Pink Lemonade
Juice Drinks [4]
- Snapricot Orange
- Snapple Apple
- Cranberry Raspberry
- Fruit Punch
- Grapeade
- Kiwi Strawberry
- Mango Madness
- Orangeade
- Summer Peach
- Raspberry Peach
- Go Bananas
- What-a-Melon
- Out-red-geous Orange
- Apple Pie
Lemonades [5]
- Lemonade Iced Tea
- Lemonade
- Pink Lemonade
- Super Sour Lemonade
Kosher [6]
- Caffeine Free Tea
- Cranberry Raspberry
- Cranberry Twist
- Diet Cranberry Raspberry
- Diet Kiwi Strawberry
- Diet Lime Green Tea
- Diet Orange Carrot
- Diet Peach Tea
- Diet Pink Lemonade
- Diet Raspberry Tea
- Diet Ruby Red
- Just Plain Tea-Unsweetened
- Kiwi Strawberry
- Lemon Tea
- Lemonade
- Lemonade Iced Tea
- Lime Green Tea
- Mango Madness
- Mint Tea
- Orangeade
- Peach Tea
- Pink Lemonade
- Raspberry Tea
- Ruby Red
- Diet Lemon Tea
- Snapple Apple
- Snapricot Orange
- Very Cherry Tea
[edit] Elements
In 1999, Snapple released a set of drinks under the "Elements" brand. These new drinks had names based on nature, and were marketed as all natural energy drinks. The original bottles were made from clear glass, but they now come in aluminum bottles. They also have amounts of Vitamin B, Caffeine, Ginseng, and Taurine.
Current Flavors
- Metal - Blood Orange
- Venom - Citrus
- Fire - Dragonfruit
- Rain - Agave Cactus
- Subzero - Siberian Cherry
- Meteor - Tangelo
- Altitude- Persimmon
- Spark - Mandarin Carrot
- Sun - Juiced Berry Banana
- Turbulence - Shredded Lemon
- Atomic - Jacked Apple
- Velocity- Grapefruit Cranberry
- Diet Air - Prickly Peach
- Diet Ice - Ruby Tangelo
Discontinued Flavors
- Volcano- Indigo Grape
- Gravity- Carrot Infusion
- Earth - Grape Cranberry
- Lightning - Ginseng Black Tea
- Moon - Green Tea
- Sky - Passion Fruit
- Voltage - Citron
- Sun - Starfruit Orange
- Infusion - Mango Tangerine
[edit] Discontinued Flavors
There are 68 discontinued Snapple flavors, many of which were part of unsuccessful franchises such as: Snapple Sodas, Refreshers, and Seltzers. These discontinued flavors include Cactus Tea (see photo above), Sun Tea, Sweet Tea, Strawberry Tea, Pink Grapefruit (part of a line of 100% juice drinks), Grape Watermelon , Ralph's Canteloupe Cocktail, Bali Blast, Samoan Splash (all four were regular juice drinks) and diet Mango Madness. Snapple sodas were popular in the northeast US from 1983 until they were discontinued in the late-1990s. Sodas came in a glass bottle with a metal (later a plastic) cap and included such flavors as Cherry Lime Rickey, Ginger Ale, Jamaican Ginger Beer, Passion Supreme, Peach Melba, Raspberry Royale, and Tru Root Beer. (See link below for complete list of all discontinued flavors.)
[edit] Snapple and education
In October 2003, Snapple began its sponsorship of the New York City school system, which had financial troubles. Snapple vending machines were placed ubiquitously -- and exclusively -- throughout schools in the City. Snapple was able to acquire the deal in part because New York City officials did not want to encourage the consumption of sodas, which have been linked to childhood obesity and are considered unhealthy.
The deal also gave Snapple exclusive rights to sell its drinks in vending machines on all New York City properties starting in January 2004. Snapple paid the City $106 million for the rights and agreed to spend $60 million more to market and promote the City over the length of the five-year contract.
[edit] Snapple Caps
Snapple is also known for putting facts about the world on the underside of the bottle caps. A full listing of these "Real Facts" (as they are called) is available on their website.
It is easy to recognize the different varieties because each type of drink has a differently colored cap:
- Teas: Blue caps
- Diets: White caps
- Juice drinks: Green caps
- Lemonades: Yellow caps
- Special Contests: Red caps, Silver caps
- White Teas: Silver caps
There are several people who collect Snapple caps around the USA. Caps are organized several different ways, depending on the collector themself. Some organize by color of cap/flavor of drink, which are basically the same, including a "Doubles" category where repeat caps are stored. While this is the most common way to organize, caps can also be organized by date, establishment-where-purchased, and "Real Fact" Number.
During special Snapple contests, "Real Facts" are still under the caps, but collectors consider them in their own category, despite the drink they may have come off of.
[edit] Advertising/Spokespersons
In the early 1990's, radio commentator Rush Limbaugh was used as a celebrity endorser, so was the radio comedian Howard Stern during the same period.
In 1993 Wendy Kaufman, an employee for the Snapple corporation, was recruited to be the commercial spokesperson for the drink due to her having taken it upon herself to answer letters that were coming into the company with questions about the product. Kaufman's advertisements centered around her reading letters out loud and delivering comedic responses. Kaufman was dubbed "The Snapple Lady." These commercials ran until 1994 when she was unceremoniously fired from the company, upon the company's sale to Quaker Oats for $1.7 Billion. Quaker Oats then sold Snapple for $300 million to Triarc, which reinstated Wendy as the Snapple Lady in 1997.
[edit] False Rumors and Myths
Like many popular brands, Snapple has had urban myths and false rumors occasionally plague its brand. In 1992, rumors began to spread that Snapple was a supporter of the Ku Klux Klan and Operation Rescue. The reasoning for this was the portrayal of a ship from the Boston Tea Party, which was claimed to actually be a slave ship.
Snapple also fell victim to the old rumor that the small "K" was either a representation of the Klan, or of an imagined "Jewish Tax" (augmented by the fact that all three founders were Jewish). The "K" on the products actually meant that they were certified kosher. [7]
Snapple initially tried to quell these rumors quietly, but ultimately had to launch a media campaign to squash them, pointing out it would be bad for business to support controversial issues in such a way as the rumors implied. Through a media campaign with the NAACP, Snapple successfully fought back these rumors, although occasionally they are still brought up as fact.
Finally, there have also been rumors that Snapple is owned by Osama bin Laden. [8]
[edit] In popular culture
Snapple is mentioned repeatedly in the Seinfeld television series.
The NBC comedy show 30 Rock features intentionally flagrant promotion of Snapple in the episode Jack-tor as a parody of "production integration".
Rapper, The Game, references Banana Snapple and Belvedere Vodka as his drink of choice off of the self titled track of his sophomore album, The Doctor's Advocate.
