| image = Sunkist orange 1.jpg
| image = Sunkist orange 1.jpg
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”’Sunkist”’, also marketed as ”’Sunkist Soda”’, is a brand of primarily [[orange (fruit)|orange]]-flavored [[soft drink]]s that launched in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 20, 1979 |title=Sunkist Diversifies With Orange Soda |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/20/archives/sunkist-diversifies-with-orange-soda-general-cinema-is-sales.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref> Sunkist primarily competes with [[The Coca-Cola Company]]’s [[Fanta]] brand and [[PepsiCo]]’s [[Crush (soft drink)|Crush]] brand.
”’Sunkist”’, also marketed as ”’Sunkist Soda”’, is a brand of primarily [[orange (fruit)|orange]]-flavored [[soft drink]]s that launched in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 20, 1979 |title=Sunkist Diversifies With Orange Soda |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/20/archives/sunkist-diversifies-with-orange-soda-general-cinema-is-sales.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref> Sunkist primarily competes with [[The Coca-Cola Company]]’s [[Fanta]] brand and [[PepsiCo]]’s [[Crush (drink)|Crush]] brand.
Produced by [[Keurig Dr Pepper]], a variety of Sunkist flavors are made. In addition to Orange, there is Diet Orange, Grape, Strawberry, Cherry Limeade, Pineapple, Lemonade, Diet Lemonade, Peach, Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Berry Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade<ref>{{cite web |last=Danley |first=Sam |date=October 12, 2022 |title=Slideshow: New products at NACS |url=https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/22392-slideshow-new-products-at-nacs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013193655/https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/22392-slideshow-new-products-at-nacs |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |website=Food Business News |publisher=Sosland Publishing}}</ref> and Orange Mango.<ref name=”DPSG” />
Produced by [[Keurig Dr Pepper]], a variety of Sunkist flavors are made. In addition to Orange, there is Diet Orange, Grape, Strawberry, Cherry Limeade, Pineapple, Lemonade, Diet Lemonade, Peach, Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Berry Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade<ref>{{cite web |last=Danley |first=Sam |date=October 12, 2022 |title=Slideshow: New products at NACS |url=https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/22392-slideshow-new-products-at-nacs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013193655/https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/22392-slideshow-new-products-at-nacs |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |website=Food Business News |publisher=Sosland Publishing}}</ref> and Orange Mango.<ref name=”DPSG” />
Line of fruit-flavored carbonated beverages
Sunkist, also marketed as Sunkist Soda, is a brand of primarily orange-flavored soft drinks that launched in 1979.[2] Sunkist primarily competes with The Coca-Cola Company‘s Fanta brand and PepsiCo‘s Crush brand.
Produced by Keurig Dr Pepper, a variety of Sunkist flavors are made. In addition to Orange, there is Diet Orange, Grape, Strawberry, Cherry Limeade, Pineapple, Lemonade, Diet Lemonade, Peach, Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Berry Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade[3] and Orange Mango.[1]
Sunkist was first licensed by Sunkist Growers to the General Cinema Corporation, the leading independent bottler of Pepsi-Cola products at the time. The soft drink was the idea of Mark Stevens, who foresaw the potential based on market research which indicated that, worldwide, orange was the third-best-selling soft drink flavor (largely due to Fanta).[citation needed]
After extensive R&D during 1977 and early 1978, in which research was conducted on taste, color and carbonation levels, Sunkist made a grand introduction in New York by franchising it to The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York City, where Edward F. O’Reilly was president. At the time of introduction, Sunkist Soft Drinks had only five key employees: Mark Stevens, President; Peter Murphy, VP Sales; Dr. John Leffingwell, VP R&D; Ray Sissom, VP Finance; and Jim DeDreu, NE Regional Manager. It went national soon thereafter by being franchised mainly to leading Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola bottlers. The advertising slogan was “fun, sun and the beach” using TV and radio commercials with the Beach Boys‘ hit song “Good Vibrations” as the brand’s theme. In 1980, Sunkist Orange Soda became the #1 orange soda in the US and the tenth-best-selling soft drink.[citation needed]
In 2010, there was a consumer recall after a batch was accidentally mixed with six times the amount of caffeine, sickening consumers.[4]
In late 1984, Sunkist Soft Drinks was sold to Del Monte. From late 1986 until 2008, it was produced by Cadbury Schweppes under license through its Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages subsidiary. Following the demerger of Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages from Cadbury Schweppes, it is now produced by Keurig Dr Pepper in the US.[citation needed]
Sunkist (as a carbonated soft drink) was also produced under license in other markets around the world. Nichols plc sold it in Britain, while Asahi Beverages sold it in Australia,[5] (with a caffeine-free formulation). In the Philippines, it was sold by Cosmos Bottling until 2001, when San Miguel Corporation acquired Cosmos and sold its brands to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. As of 2013, Sunkist is sold by Asia Brewery.[citation needed]
Unlike many other competing orange sodas, Sunkist (at least the original formulation in the US) contains caffeine (19 mg per 12 fl oz).[7] In Canada, a caffeine-free version of the orange drink is marketed as C’Plus.[8]
- Pruitt, Bettye H. (1994) “The Making of Harcourt General” Harvard Business School Press, pp. 106–107, 153, 173. ISBN 0-87584-509-6. Google Book Search. Retrieved on March 28, 2008. Note – the individual mentioned as Mark Sobell is also known as Mark Stevens.
- 1984 Sunkist ad featuring the “Good Vibrations” theme song, YouTube video “[1]” Retrieved on March 27, 2008.
- 1984-85 Sunkist ad featuring the “Good Vibrations” theme song, YouTube video “[2]” Retrieved on May 12, 2008.
- Cadbury Schweppes purchases Canada Dry and Sunkist soft drinks from RJR (July 1986), New York Times (online) “[3]” Retrieved on March 27, 2008.
- Sunkist Soda – Products
- Sunkist Soda Montage – In-the-Beginning, YouTube video “[4]” Retrieved on August 12, 2011.
