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The Nesbitt's Fruit Products Company was founded in 1924 by Hugh S.
Nesbitt, and was franchised from Nesbitt Fruit Products, Los Angeles,
California, producing syrups to be used in soda fountains. The company produced
a full line of fountain products through the years including various fruit flavors to be mixed with soda water, toppings for ice cream, including chocolate, hot fudge, crushed pineapple and
strawberries, and, a hot chocolate base. They also marketed branded dispensers and other fountain
supplies.
Based on the trademark on the bottles, it appears that they began bottling Nesbitt's Orange Soda in 1938.
Although Nesbitt's came in a variety of
flavors, all were marketed in the same bottle and identified by
different caps. Nesbitt's containers came in several
configurations, all ACL bottles in 7oz and 10oz sizes. Nesbitt's Orange was distinguished by the fact that it was made from 10% California orange juice. The brand was franchised to independent bottling companies all over the United States and around the world. Besides, Orange other flavors bottled included, Creme Soda, Grape,
Strawberry and Root Beer,
Nesbitt's Fruit Products Company was sold to Clorox in 1972.
The following is the Clorox Chronology :
- July 1972: The Clorox Company acquires, in exchange for 161,894 shares of Clorox stock, Nesbitt Food Products, Inc. Nesbitt manufactures a variety of specialty food products for soda fountain service and operates a franchise bottling business for the consumer market.
- March 1973: The Food Service Industries Group is organized and consists of five profit centers, including Nesbitt Franchise Bottling, which manufactures and markets a full line of fruit-flavored soft drinks through a network of more than 200 franchised bottlers.
- April 1975: The Nesbitt Franchise Bottling operation is sold to Moxie Industries, Inc., of Atlanta, which acquires the exclusive right to sell carbonated beverages in retail markets under the Nesbitt brand name. Clorox Food Service Products Division continues to market food service and institutional concentrates, syrups and other specialty fountain products under the Nesbitt name.
- July 1975: Independent contract manufacturers begin production of Nesbitt beverage concentrates, syrups and other specialty fountain products for Clorox Food Service Operations. The Nesbitt Franchise Bottling plant in Los Angeles is closed.
- March 1976: The plant, land, machinery and equipment of Nesbitt Food Products, Inc., are sold.
- June 1976: Nesbitt Food Products, Inc., is merged into The Clorox Company and ceases to exist as a separate
company,
The Nesbitt's Trademark has had the following history since then:
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1976 - Assigned to RE-MI Foods, Elk Grove Village, IL
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1988 - Staley Food Service Co.
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1988 - Assigned to Borden, Inc
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1997 - Trademark Renewed by Monarch Co, Atlanta GA
Currently, Nesbitt's is a trademark of:
Big Red, Ltd.
Waco, Texas 76712
(254) 772-7791
Fax: (254) 772-2441
Nesbitt's Orange, Nesbitt's Strawberry and Nesbitt's Honey Lemonade are currently only sold in cans by:
Greensburg Bottling Co
Greensburg, Kentucky 42743
email: serviceski@doublecolaski.com
*This information came from Tom Scott, grandson of B. R. Murphy, who joined the company in 1926 and became operations manager. Murphy became President in 1943 when Mr. Nesbitt died suddenly at the 1943 ABCB Convention in St. Louis. He retired as President in 1959 and stayed on as Chairman of the Board until the company was sold to Clorox in 1972. Visit
Tom's Web Page by
<< Clicking Here >>
TRIVIA
Marilyn Monroe was a model for Nesbitt's Orange in 1946.
Nesbitt's Orange was the "Official Orange Drink" for Disneyland from the time it opened in 1955 into the 1960's. It was the only orange drink sold in the Park.
It is said that Elvis Presley loved Nesbitt's Orange. "He always had the weirdest eating habits I ever saw," a friend was
quoted as saying at the time (1960's). "Burnt bacon, olives, vegetable soup and peanut-butter and banana sandwiches." He'd wash all this down with Pepsi or Nesbitt's Orange
soda."
In 1957, the "Nesbitt's Orange Special" dragster set
a Quarter-Mile speed Record of 9.445 seconds (159.02 mph).
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