Beginning with a soft drink association that dates back to his early youth, George Rackensperger, president of The Frostie Company, decided in 1939 to open his own bottling plant. Renting an abandoned jailhouse in Catonsville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, he used the garage that formerly housed the police wagon for setting up his bottling equipment ... and the various cells were employed to store sugar, crowns, and other supplies. In this small and unassuming enterprise, there was born a product which rapidly forced the elimination of the many flavors being bottled by Mr. Rackensperger. Full capacity of equipment was needed to handle the demand of this simple item.

     Frostie Old Fashion Root Beer had dwarfed all other plant products in sales. Consumer acceptance and volume sales rapidly brought about the need for much larger quarters and larger machinery to handle the continuing growth. Mr. Rackensperger left the jailhouse .... and a new modern plant was built.

     During the interim between 1939 and 1947, numerous distributors in nearby counties requested and were given the authorization to sell Frostie in their territories. As Frostie grew, the distributors requested the opportunity to bottle the product themselves. Thus, without previous planning or thought of licensing, Frostie had become a franchised beverage.

     In 1947, bottler interest reached a new peak, and The Frostie Company was organized as a parent organization to handle the appointment and servicing of soft drink manufacturers and to expand the franchising beyond the Maryland borders. So began the growth of a product--which by its taste-appeal and word-of-mouth advertising--soon began making itself known throughout the industry.

     Frostie began methodical and deliberate invasion in all sections of the country ... moving state by state. As bottler representation increased, new personnel was added, so that the planned expansion could continue in accordance with the sound and stable growth pattern used in guiding The Frostie Co. in its early stages.

     After 10 short years, Frostie was represented in a majority of the states. The sales staff and specialty force were being increased to better service its franchised bottlers throughout the nation.

     Concurrent with the growth of The Frostie Co., and the number of bottlers now manufacturing the product, the services offered by the parent to its bottlers have also been constantly expanded and improved ... including its advertising policies. Another important development has been the allowance to bottlers to handle syrup for vending and fountain sales--rather than delegate it to outside sources or manage it as a parent operation.

     Thomas M. De Corse was vice president and general manager of the organization with warehouses based in Camden, NJ; Atlanta, GA; and St. Louis, MO..

     Today, the rights to Frostie are owned by Leading Edge Brands, in Temple, Texas, where the bottling is done. Leading Edge Brands sells to distributors across the nation. I have included a list of distributors, locations, and phone numbers. Please keep in mind that these distributors may be selling to customers hundreds of miles away.

     Also, Frostie is available in some of the Cracker Barrel Country Stores. And also, in Walmart Super Centers in areas such as: Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, etc.

     Frostie Root Beer in long neck bottles can be found at the The Soda Shop, if it is not available in your area.

[ Search ] [ Info ] [ Trade ] [ Brands ] [ Collection ] [ Bottles ] [ Links ] [ Crowncaps ] [ Sign * View ]