From Amy Kent : A large collection of many different bottles for sale, such as: Bitters, Case Gins, Sodas, Inks, Evening in Paris, Poisons, Whiskeys, Apothecary and numerous others. E-mail: AKent65@wmconnect.com for a complete listing, or lists for specific types of bottles can be obtained for $3.50 each with a self-addressed envelope for mailing, write: Amy Kent, #337 CR 598, Plantersville, MS 38862.

From Reddielocks : I am looking for foam-labeled Coca-Cola bottles, the 16-ounce version made in USA. E-mail must contain a picture of the bottle to receive a reply.

From Doug : I am looking for a Snow White brand ACL soda bottle from the 1950's. E-mail me.

From Duane : I am interested in bottles, crocks and "go-withs". All bottles: milks, beers, soda pop, etc., from Saute Ste, Marie, Michigan. Thanks!

Do you have a particular item, or items, that you have been looking for a long time to complete part of your collection, or something you want - but have not as yet been able to find? Send it so all of us can help you look. You never know where it may turn up! E-mail it to My Missing Item

Cheerwine is to be launched on the Norwegian market, its first distribution outside the Eastern Time zone. The cherry-flavored carbonated brand is also considering a launch across other Scandinavian countries. "Cheerwine is now available in Oslo, Norway, and it may be available throughout other Scandinavian countries later in 2003," said Mark Ritchie, president of Carolina Beverage Corp, maker of Cheerwine. Oslo-based American Marketing approached Carolina Beverage in May 2001 about a Cheerwine license and by the end of 2002, the Salisbury-based company was shipping concentrate to Norway. American Marketing is distributing Cheerwine throughout Oslo, the nation's capital. "We saw this as an opportunity to establish an international business presence with a company that is committed to presenting Cheerwine as a mainstream soft drink," Ritchie said. Dag Lundeby, general manager and owner of American Marketing, said American soft drinks products are well received in the Scandinavian counties of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Ocean Spray and Pepsi Bottling Group have announced that they are to terminate their 10-year single-serve distribution agreement for Canada, with effect from May 1, 2003. The move has been precipitated by PBG and PepsiCo's decision to integrate its North American operations with its juice producer, Dole, in Canada. "While we have enjoyed an excellent, mutually-beneficial business relationship with the Pepsi bottlers, we are confident that our new distribution model will enable us to meet the refreshment needs of on-the-go consumers in Canada," said Chet Baker, managing director of Ocean Spray International.

Coca-Cola Company has announced that it is to merge its Minute Maid North America juice business with its other North American operations. Don Knauss, the president of Minute Maid North America, is to oversee the merger of the two divisions. The new merged unit will report to the president of Coca-Cola North America, Jeffrey T. Dunn. 

Coca-Cola has also announced the appointment of Sandy Douglas, currently president of the group's North American division, as chief customer officer, a newly created role, reporting directly to Steven Heyer, the company's president and chief operating officer. Douglas's brief is to work with other Coke divisions on revamping the group's customer service strategy. 

From CocaZilla : I know Travel Centers of America has signed a five-year deal with Pepsi, and is dropping Coke.

New bottles or cans, or anything soda, in your area ?
Please send the info so all of us can know @ Whats New

I have a few extra issues of the November/December Soda Fizz Magazine on hand. If you would like see the print edition of the Fizz, send your address to Free Copy. Act fast, I only have a few issues.

The new issue of my first magazine as Editor for the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors is almost ready to mail. It has been an exciting time for all of us involved. The Winter 2003 Issue of Bottles and Extras is stuffed full of information. Interested ? There is still time to get in on it. For information about the Federation, and the Magazine, just let me know. Send an E-mail to B&E and the FOHBC

Last week, I was in Muncie, Indiana for the show there, as well as other venues. I took many pictures during the show, which I hope to share with you next week. 

The subscriber list of "the Soda Fizz" is growing and I thank each one of you for being a part of it.
However, I would like to give a reminder that if you change Internet Providers, please remember to let me know your new E-mail address so I can change it in the mailing  list for you. 

New bottles or cans, or anything soda, in your area ?
Please send the info so all of us can know @ Whats New

The Lone Star Chapter of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club will be hosting the 12th annual Tex-Fest from February 7-9 (Friday - Sunday), 2003 at the Radisson Hotel in Richardson, Texas. Events will include welcome banquet, silent auction, bingo, swap meet and room hopping. For more information, please call +1-214-749-2474. Hotel room rates are $69 per night and reservations may be made by calling +1-972-644-4000. Radisson Hotel is located on Central Expressway (I-75) at Campbell Road. 

The largest gathering of Coca-Cola collectors on the west coast will be held February 13-16 (Thursday - Sunday), 2003 at Jackie Gaughan's Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Great Get-Together events will include silent and regular auctions, raffle, swap meet, banquet and room hopping. For more information, please contact Janeen Davis, 25607 Firebrand Place, Hayward, CA 94541-5711. For hotel reservations, please call 1-800-634-6575. Room rates are $65 per night for Friday and Saturday and $45 for Sunday through Thursday. The Plaza Hotel is located at One Main Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101.

Any new events  in your area? Mail so all of us can know, to: Upcoming Events

For those of us who wondered what happened to Leslie : "I no longer am a Coca-Cola collector. You have a great newsletter and classifieds. I actually found the buyer for my collection via your classifieds, as a matter of fact. I thought you might like to know that. :) I don't know if you ever visited my site back "in the day". I ran "Leslie's Coca-Cola Homepage" for a few years...until the Coca-Cola Company shut it down (among other biggies). I wish you all the luck with your newsletter and collecting!"

From PepsiDad : "I get the newsletter and thank you for the extra effort. I really enjoy the newsletter, but I think it needs more Pepsi-Cola. I know that Pepsi items are not as heavily promoted as Coca-Cola items were over the years, but Pepsi collecting is coming into its own right recently."

HI Ron, I too love the Pepsi items  - for many reasons. One is because there are not so much of them that everywhere you look you see them, and second is that they are not as badly reproduced, as are Coke items. I also would love to put more 'Pepsi' into the Fizz, but there is less who contribute Pepsi items/articles/news, etc, and also, Pepsi is not in the headlines as much as Coke -  plus they have less "press releases", where I get much of my "What's New?". But I pop it in gladly when I can find something about Pepsi to put.
Hint! Hint ! Send anything Pepsi to PEPSI at the Fizz

After the article in the June 29th (2002) Fizz about Hartman Beverage's role in Mountain Dew, I received many comments regarding it. The following information comes from Pepsi-Cola, 100 Years, by Bob Stoddard (1997), page 142-144.

One of the biggest success stories for Pepsi in 1964 was the acquisition of Mountain Dew. The Pepsi-Cola Company bought the soft drink from the Tip Corporation of Marion, Virginia, for a rumored $6 million in Pepsi-Cola stock. How the Tip Corporation, a company that marketed flavored drinks to bottlers, acquired the name and formula for the beverage is a matter of debate.

While one Bill Jones, a resident of Marion and the president of the Tip Corporation, is generally credited with concocting the Mountain Dew flavor that is familiar today, the Mountain Dew story actually begins elsewhere. Evidently, in the late 1940s, Hartman Beverage Company of Knoxville, Tennessee, bottled a lemon-lime drink they called Mountain Dew. Although this drink had some regional success, it never really caught on.

Fast forward to 1958, to beyond eastern Tennessee, where a respected soft drink supply salesman - Bill Jones - took over the Tip Corporation. In order to finance his new enterprise, Jones needed investors, so he offered shares in the new company to some of his bottler friends. The original investors were Pepsi-Cola bottlers: Herman Minges of Lumberton, North Carolina; Richard Minges of Fayetteville, North Carolina; Allie Hartman of Knoxville, Tennessee; and Wythe Hull of Marion, Virginia.

At one of the first stockholders meetings of the new Tip Corporation, Hartman reportedly announced the donation, on behalf of his brother...their Mountain Dew drink to the new company. The addition of Mountain Dew to the product line would, it was hoped, give the company a competitive edge in the flavored drink market.

Rumor and speculation attend this transaction. One version has it that Jones was originally unwilling to accept the donation of the Mountain Dew name and formula, so Hartman proposed that Jones pay for their dinner, and they would call it even. If this is true, one of the most valuable trademarks in the soft drink industry was sold for a steak dinner- which reportedly cost $6.95.

Unfortunately for the Tip Corporation, at teh same time they were launching Mountain Dew, the Pepsi-Cola Company was introducing its own lemon-lime drink, Teem. Most of Tip's customers were Pepsi bottlers who were reluctant to compete with the parent company, so they ended up selling Teem, rather than Mountain Dew.

The success of another soft drink Sun Drop, and competition from Teem, consequently caused Jones to take Mountain Dew in a different direction, away from the lemon-lime flavor to an orangey taste.

Using Wythe Hull's Pepsi-Cola bottling facility as a base of operations, Jones began testing different formulas. Employees at the Marion Pepsi plant were the first to sample each new version of the drink. Finally, one mixture seemed to have the right taste. 

This new Mountain Dew was test-marketed by the Minges with overwhelming success. Tip began to solicit Mountain Dew franchises, the company's shareholders agreed that Pepsi-Cola bottlers should be given the first opportunity at a charter. That's why most of the first Mountain Dew bottlers were also Pepsi-Cola bottlers. 

For another bottler's story in the history of Mountain Dew, and also the bottler to receive the first, and only, franchise from Hartman Beverages, <<Click here>>

If you have a soda-related subject that you would like to see here as an "FYI" article, or have information you yourself would like to contribute, don't be shy, send it to: FYI Idea

Until next week, Happy Collecting! CokeGirl