# Pre Coca-Cola owned Sunkist?



## shadeone (May 22, 2017)

So by all accounts everywhere, Sunkist as a carbonated soda started in 1979 and was franchised to The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York City.

I stumbled across an older looking bottle the other day and did a quick google and ebay search... It turned up these bottles:






no date





says dated 1963













1963 stamped on bottom

I have found others and they all have the Redstone, New Hampshire location listed on the back. 

Doing a quick bottle cap search show all these cork backed caps:





Just wondering if anyone has any more information on this early version of Sunkist... Ads, other bottles, etc... Or why Coca Cola doesn't acknowledge that its brand's history goes back farther than the 70s.


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## RCO (May 24, 2017)

I've never really seen those bottles before , perhaps it existed as a local brand in NH at some point before it got bigger and coca cola took it over


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## Canadacan (May 25, 2017)

Where is this information that Sunkist was a product of Coca-Cola or owned by them?


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## shadeone (May 26, 2017)

Canadacan said:


> Where is this information that Sunkist was a product of Coca-Cola or owned by them?



Probably should have titled this thread "pre franchised sunkist haha

I think my brain took the information provided in wikipedia and added to it:

_"After extensive R&D  during 1977 and early 1978, in which research was conducted on taste,  color and carbonation levels, Sunkist made a grand introduction in New  York by franchising it to The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York City,  where Edward F. O'Reilly was president. At the time of introduction,  Sunkist Soft Drinks had only five key employees: Mark Stevens,  President; Peter Murphy, VP Sales; Dr. John Leffingwell, VP R&D; Ray  Sissom, VP Finance; and Jim DeDreu, NE Regional Manager. It went  national soon thereafter by being franchised mainly to leading Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola bottlers."_


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## Canadacan (May 26, 2017)

shadeone said:


> Probably should have titled this thread "pre franchised sunkist haha
> 
> I think my brain took the information provided in wikipedia and added to it :



Yea I figured that's what might have happened....just for information sake, Coke did own these brands in the 70's and 80's...pretty sure they only came in cans though?,...
Five Alive-
 Hi-C
 Minute Maid
 Pure Sun-
 Real Gold-
 Splash

That Sunkist bottle is still pretty interesting!


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