Snapple

Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, based in Plano, Texas, United States. Snapple originated as an apple juice first produced in 1972¹ by Unadulterated Food Products, with the name Snapple a portmanteau derived from the words snappy and apple. The brand became popular in the 1990s and 2000s from pop-culture references and sponsorships in television shows, becoming the partial namesake of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in 2008. A series of lawsuits starting the following year questioned the brand's health claims, leading to changes in the products' formula.

Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, based in Plano, Texas, United States. Snapple originated as an apple juice first produced in 1972 by Unadulterated Food Products, with the name Snapple a portmanteau derived from the words snappy and apple. The brand became popular in the 1990s and 2000s from pop-culture references and sponsorships in television shows, becoming the partial namesake of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in 2008. A series of lawsuits starting the following year questioned the brand's health claims, leading to changes in the products' formula.

History

Snapple was founded by Leonard Marsh, Hyman Golden, and Arnold Greenberg in 1972 in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York. Their company, which was originally known as Unadulterated Food Products, was first conceived as a part-time venture to supply fruit juices to health food stores. Unsure if the business would succeed, Greenberg continued to run his health food store in Manhattan's East Village, while Leonard Marsh and his brother-in-law, Hyman Golden, operated a window washing business. In a 1989 interview with Crain's New York Business, Marsh admitted that when they launched the small business he knew "as much about juice as about making an atom bomb." An early apple juice product led to the company's name, Snapple. Golden, Greenberg and Marsh had created a carbonated apple juice. One of the batches of apple juice fermented in the bottle, causing the bottle caps to fly off. The original name of that particular apple juice product, Snapple, a portmanteau derived from the words snappy and apple, became the new name for their beverage company. Thus the Snapple Beverage Corporation was born, beginning in the early 1980s. In 1987, Snapple made their first tea, lemon tea. , there are many different types of Snapple: tea (multiple flavors, such as lemon, raspberry, and peach, all of which come in original and diet), juice drinks, lemonade, and bottled water. Snapple also comes in aluminum cans. Snapple's brand slogan is "Made from the Best Stuff on Earth". In the early 1990s, Snapple was known for a popular series of TV advertisements featuring Wendy Kaufman (the "Snapple Lady") answering letters from Snapple fans. In May 1992, in an effort to counteract the Coke and Pepsi challenge commercials, Snapple began running a new line of advertisements, which featured its trademark "Made from the best stuff on Earth" line in ads that spoofed earlier beer and sports drinks promotions. The ads received low marks from advertising industry observers. In addition, the company used its $15-million-a-year advertising budget to pay for a long-lived series of live radio commercials featuring controversial radio hosts Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh. At the end of the summer of 1992, Snapple conducted a five-week search for a new advertising agency that could better convey its corporate identity in preparation for a wider national push. Later that year, Snapple signed tennis player Jennifer Capriati to endorse its products. By August 1992, Snapple had expanded its distribution to every major city in the United States and signed new contracts with beverage distributors. The company owned no manufacturing facilities, but instead made agreements with more than 30 bottlers across the country. In this way, Snapple was able to keep its overhead low and its payroll short. The company administration consisted of just 80 employees¹, 50 of whom worked out of a modest office building on Long Island. In 1992, Thomas H. Lee, an American businessperson, financier and investor of Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL), acquired Snapple Beverages on undisclosed terms. The three founders of Snapple, Leonard Marsh, Hyman Golden and Arnold Greenberg, said they would own about one-third of the new company and be involved in its management. Hellen Berry, vice president of the Beverage Marketing Corporation, a consultant in New York, estimated that Snapple, which had been for sale for more than a year and had $100 million in sales in 1991, sold for $140 million. Only eight months after buying the company, Lee took Snapple Beverages public. In 1994, Lee sold the company to the Quaker Oats Company for $1.7 billion. Lee was estimated to have made $900 million for himself and his investors from the sale. Quaker Oats ran into problems and sold Snapple to Triarc in 1997 for $300 million. In September 2000, Triarc sold it to Cadbury Schweppes for $1.45 billion. In May 2008, Snapple was spun off to its current owners.

Lawsuits

In 2009, a consumer lawsuit was brought against Snapple in California. The suit alleged the drinks contained unhealthy ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and deceptive names on labels that led consumers to believe that certain healthy elements are in the drinks that are not really present. In 2010, in a lawsuit against Snapple in the federal District of New Jersey, the court certified to the FDA for an administrative determination the question whether high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) qualifies as a "natural" ingredient. In 2010, the FDA responded by letter and declined to provide the court with the requested guidance. Stating that it would take two to three years to engage in a transparent proceeding to elicit the proper public participation, the FDA again cited its limited resources and more pressing food-safety concerns. In 2011, a New York federal court dismissed a different lawsuit accusing Snapple of misleading consumers by labeling drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup as "all natural" when the drink contained no natural juice. The court found that the plaintiffs had failed to show that they were injured as a result of Snapple's labeling. After the lawsuit in May 2009, Snapple was made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. In certain areas the older formula is still sold in stores, but this is becoming increasingly rare.

Real facts

Snapple is well known for printing a numbered list of Snapple "Real Facts" on the inside of their bottle caps. A list of these "Real Facts" is available on the company website and fan sites. The "Real Facts" currently go from No. 1 to at least No. 2060, although many numbers in this range have never had facts written for them and have never been put into circulation. , some of which have been dismissed as misconceptions. Several of the facts on Snapple caps have been found to be outdated, incorrect or exaggerated.

Popular culture

's IndyCar during the 2015 season Snapple was the official beverage sponsor of America's Got Talent from season 7 to season 9 of the NBC show. Howard Stern, one of the judges on the show, was a spokesperson for Snapple in the 1980s. It was replaced by Dunkin' for season 10. In the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11, New York Paramedic Robert Ruiz was trapped inside a darkened building. He was able to locate a light source, but when he got closer, he discovered it was a refrigerator full of Snapple: "No, I didn't want a drink. I tell everybody that part about the Snapple. I said, you know, I thought it was light. I thought it was the way out, and it turns out to be a giant refrigerator full of Snapple. I got so mad at that point".

Snapple Theater Center

In 2007, Snapple opened the Snapple Theater Center on 50th Street and Broadway in the heart of New York City's Theater District. It has two theaters, one of which is a traditional theater, the other a thrust stage which can house plays. The center also includes a 40×50 ft (12×15.2 m) rehearsal space which is available for rent. The theaters are considered off-Broadway because of their low seating capacities. The theater has since dropped the Snapple name and sponsorship and is simply known as The Theater Center.

Kosher Certification

Most Snapple drinks have a kosher certification from the OK Kosher Agency. Exceptions include: Fruit Punch Grape Kiwi Lemon-lime

See also

Kick (soft drink)

References

External links

Official website Snapple Refreshes Itself – Snapple Relaunch (2009) The Snapple Dragoon at Snopes.com

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370756278 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.