Canada Dry Explained

Canada Dry
Type:Soft drink
Currentowner:Keurig Dr Pepper
Origin:Canada
Markets:Canada, United States, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Europe, Japan,Turkey, Middle East, Africa
Previousowners:Cadbury
(1986–2008)
Canada Dry Ginger Ale Inc.
(1923–1986)
John J. McLaughlin family
(1904–1923)

Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks[1] founded in Toronto, Canada in 1904, and owned since 2008 by the American company Dr Pepper Snapple (now Keurig Dr Pepper).[2] For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for its ginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers. Although it (as the brand name suggests) originated in Canada, Canada Dry is now produced in many countries such as the United States, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, Turkey and in a number of countries of Europe and the Middle East.

Etymology

The "Dry" in the brand's name refers to not being sweet, as in a dry wine. When John J. McLaughlin, who first formulated "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale", originally made his new soft drink, it was far less sweet than other ginger ales then available; as a result, he labelled it "dry". The name has given rise to a clichéd joke: "Don't drink Canada dry", uttered when someone is taking too long (at one's expense and patience) at a water fountain.[3]

History

In 1890, Canadian pharmacist and chemist John J. McLaughlin of Enniskillen, Ontario, after working in a soda factory in Brooklyn, New York,[4] opened a carbonated water plant in Toronto.[5] McLaughlin was the eldest son of Robert McLaughlin, founder of McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car.[6] In 1904, McLaughlin created "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale". Three years later, the drink was appointed to the Viceregal Household of the Governor General of Canada and the label featuring a beaver atop a map of Canada was replaced with the present crown and shield label.[7]

When McLaughlin began shipping his product to New York, it became so popular that he opened a plant in Manhattan shortly thereafter. After McLaughlin's death in 1914, the company was run briefly by his brother, Samuel McLaughlin. P. D. Saylor and Associates bought the business from the McLaughlin family in 1923 and formed Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Inc., a public company.[5]

Canada Dry's popularity as a mixer began during Prohibition, when its flavor helped mask the taste of homemade liquor.[8] In the 1930s, Canada Dry expanded worldwide. From the 1950s onward, the company introduced a larger number of products.

Norton Simon took an interest in the company in 1964, and it merged with Simon's other holdings, the McCall Corporation and Hunt Foods, to form Norton Simon Inc. Dr Pepper bought Canada Dry from Norton Simon in 1982.[9] [10] In 1984, Dr Pepper was acquired by Forstmann Little & Company, and Canada Dry was sold to R. J. Reynolds' Del Monte Foods unit to pay off acquisition debt.[11] RJR Nabisco sold its soft drink business to Cadbury Schweppes in 1986. Today, Canada Dry is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008.[5] [12]

'Made from Real Ginger' lawsuits

In 2019, Canada Dry faced false advertising lawsuits from a few consumers who requested class action status.[13] Although the ingredients included a natural flavour extract made from ginger root,[14] the plaintiffs said the drink did not have enough ginger flavor for people to be able to taste it, and that they thought the advertising slogan indicated that the drink was "made by chopping or powdering the root of the ginger plant", instead of using a small amount of liquid extracted from a ginger root.[13] To settle this lawsuit, the company decided to stop making this claim in the US and to offer between US$5.20 and $40 to affected US consumers.[15]

In early 2019, a class-action lawsuit was requested in Canada,[16] where the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations specify that ingredients in food may be described as "real" if that ingredient "is present in the food, regardless of what form (e.g., frozen, powdered, ground, concentrated, etc.)". In a settlement, Canada Dry Mott's Inc. agreed to pay $200,000, inclusive of all expenses and fees, plus disbursements of $18,607.61, but it did not require the defendant to change its product labelling or advertising for products marketed in Canada. The settlement amount was to be distributed to the class members by way of cy-près donation to the Law Foundation of British Columbia, while two lead plaintiffs, Victor Cardoso and Lionel Ravvin, received $1,500 each.[17] [18]

The subjectivity of how much ginger is necessary before a product can be fairly described as being "made from real ginger" prompted one author to quip that "The truth is in the lie of the beholder".

Products

Brands with limited availability

Limited availability flavors are produced in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, by Pepsi-Cola/National Brand Beverages and are distributed in southern New Jersey, Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania, eastern Maryland, and northern Virginia. At one time, the flavors all had uniquely designed labels; but now all of them use the standard Canada Dry crest logo.

Brands with limited availability in the United States include:

Locale-specific brands

Asia

Europe- United Kingdom - Schweppes Canada Dry Ginger Ale

The Middle East

South America

North America

Marketing

Nylon Studios produced the song used in the Rabbit's "Jack's Farm" commercial featuring Canada Dry Ginger Ale.[23] A Cantonese version of the ad was also produced.

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ginger Ales, Seltzer Waters, Sodas Canada Dry. www.canadadry.com. May 28, 2016.
  2. Web site: Canada Dry Mott's - Our History. www.canadadrymotts.ca. May 28, 2016.
  3. Morris, Evan. From Altoids to Zima: The Surprising Stories Behind 125 Famous Brand Names. Fireside, 2004. p. 23–24.
  4. "The McLaughlins - Sleighs, Buggys, Cars and Ginger Ale". The Clarington Promoter, September 2016, pages 1 and 4. by Myno Van Dyke
  5. Web site: History of our Brands. . September 11, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708111100/http://collaboration.cadbury.com/allaboutus/ourbrands/Pages/brandhistory.aspx?TabIndex=1 . July 8, 2011.
  6. Book: Robertson , Heather . McClelland & Stewart. 0-7710-7556-1. Driving Force: The McLaughlin Family and the Age of the Car. October 28, 1995.
  7. Book: Nader , Ralph . McClelland & Stewart. 978-0-7710-6713-6. Nadia Milleron. Duff Conacher. Canada Firsts. September 1, 1992. 96.
  8. Book: Witzel , Michael Karl . Town Square Books. 978-0-89658-326-9. Gyvel Young-Witzel. Soda pop!: from miracle medicine to pop culture. May 1998. 68.
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/16/business/dr-pepper-to-acquire-canada-dry.html "DR PEPPER TO ACQUIRE CANADA DRY"
  10. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/03/business/canada-dry-sold-to-dr-pepper-co.html "Canada Dry Sold to Dr Pepper Co."
  11. Web site: Schweppes to Buy Nabisco's Sunkist, Canada Dry Units. . June 3, 1986 . April 5, 2015.
  12. Web site: Keurig Dr Pepper - Canada Dry. Keurig Dr Pepper. April 5, 2015.
  13. Web site: Facing false advertising lawsuits, Canada Dry drops claim it is 'made from real ginger' National Post. Drinking. Eating &. January 12, 2019. en-CA. March 19, 2019.
  14. Gnirrs . Gary . March 2019 . Canada Dry by Design . Food in Canada . 79 . 2 . 14.
  15. Web site: Canada Dry Is Being Forced To Pay Out Anyone Who Has Bought Their Ginger Ale Since 2013 Because Of This Lawsuit. Aonso. Casey. www.narcity.com. January 12, 2019 . en-ca. March 19, 2019.
  16. Web site: Canada Dry Ginger Ale- "no ginger" lawsuit settled in U.S., begins in Canada. International. Radio Canada. January 28, 2019. RCI English. en-US. March 19, 2019.
  17. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ginger-ale-lawsuit-canada-dry-1.5782817 B.C. man's lawsuit over marketing of Canada Dry ginger ale settled for $200,000
  18. http://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/20/15/2020BCSC1569cor1.htm Cardoso v. Canada Dry Mott’s Inc., 2020 BCSC 1569
  19. News: Display Ad (for Hi-Spot-the delightful lithiated lemon drink) . Daily Boston Globe . April 16, 1948 . September 8, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20020813214541/http://www.google.com/search?hl=en . August 13, 2002 . dead .
  20. Web site: Keurig Dr Pepper Product Facts. dpsgproductfacts.com. February 21, 2015.
  21. Web site: The Milwaukee Journal. February 21, 2015.
  22. Web site: CCU - Un Mundo de Sabores » Canada Dry Limón Soda. ccu.cl. February 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150206124420/http://www.ccu.cl/nuestras-marcas/gaseosas/canada-dry-limon-soda/?lang=en. February 6, 2015. dead.
  23. Web site: Nylon Studios Creates Music for New Canada Dry TV Ad . February 28, 2011 . Nylons Studios . February 21, 2015.

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