Shasta (drink)
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 Shasta Twist sculpture at the Shasta headquarters in Hayward, California | |
| Industry | Beverages |
|---|---|
| Founded | December 6, 1889,Siskiyou County, California |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | soft drinks,drink mixers |
| Parent | National Beverage Corp. |
| Subsidiaries | Shasta Beverages, Intl., Inc. Shasta Sales, Inc. Shasta Sweetener Corp. Shasta West, Inc.[1] |
| Website | http://www.shastapop.com |
Shasta Beveragesis an Americansoft drinkmanufacturer that markets a value-priced soft drink line with a wide variety of soda flavors, as well as a few drink mixers, under the brand nameShasta.The company name is derived fromMount Shastainnorthern Californiaand the associatedShasta Springs.
History
[edit]Shasta began as "The Shasta Mineral Springs Company" at the base ofMt. Shasta,California, in 1889. In 1928, the name was changed to "The Shasta Water Company". It produced bottledmineral waterfromShasta Springsin Northern California. The water was poured into glass-lined railroad cars and shipped off for local bottling.
In 1931, Shasta produced its first soft drink, aginger ale.Until the 1950s, the company's products were mainly mixers foralcoholic drinks:mineral water,club soda,and ginger ale.
Shasta introduced new marketing strategies in the 1950s,[2]which became industry standards: the packaging of soft drinks in cans, the introduction of low-calorie (i.e., “diet” ) soft drinks, and the distribution of cans and bottles directly to grocers through wholesale channels.[3]
By the 1960s, Shasta was a well-known brand of sodas and mixers in most of thewestern United Statesand parts of theSouthwest.During the 1960s, Shasta was purchased by Consolidated Foods (later known asSara Lee) and was renamed "Shasta Beverages". In 1985, it was acquired by theNational Beverage Corp.,which also owns the similarly marketedFaygoline of soft drinks.[4]
Advertising
[edit]In the early 1980s, Shasta was expanding nationally and increasing advertising spending. In 1983, the company's ad agency hiredMinistryfrontmanAl Jourgensen(at the time a rising synth pop musician) to write and perform ajinglefor a commercial.[5]
Products
[edit]Shasta currently produces 34 varieties of soft drinks and mixers for mixing alcoholic drinks, including:[6]
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Discontinued flavors
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2011) |
These are the soft drink flavors that have been discontinued by Shasta Beverages, including a line of flavors targetingHispanicconsumers(‡) that was introduced in 2007.
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In 1993, Shasta Beverages offered flavors such asMarioPunch andPrincess ToadstoolCherry,[7]which were produced in 8-ounce cans and marketed to children.
From 2003 to 2006, Shasta Beverages sold soft drinks called "Shasta Shortz: that were also marketed to children. Shasta Shortz products were produced in 8-ounce cans and had sweeter, more candy-like flavors,[8]including Bubble Gum, Camo Orange Creme, Chillin' Cherry Punch, Cotton Candy, Rah-Rah Root Beer, and Red Grape Stain.
Ingredients
[edit]Shasta Beverages useshigh-fructose corn syrupas the sweetener in their drinks. Shasta diet soft drinks usesucraloseandacesulfame potassiumasnon-nutritive sweeteners.Some of their sugar-based drinks, including their cola, use a combination of high-fructose corn syrup and sucralose. Ingredients for some of their sodas are as follows[9](in decreasing order by % of product):
- Diet Cola: carbonated water,caramel color,phosphoric acid,citric acid,potassium citrate,sucralose,potassium benzoate(a preservative),caffeine,acesulfame potassium,natural flavor
- Root Beer: carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, natural andartificial flavors,potassium benzoate(preservative), sucralose[10]
- Tiki Punch: carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, potassium benzoate,gum acacia,natural and artificial flavor,glyceryl abietate,red 40
- Orange Soda: carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, potassium benzoate (preservative),modified corn starch,glyceryl acetate,natural flavor,yellow 6,vitamin C (ascorbic acid), sucralose,calcium disodium EDTA,red 40[11]
- Black Cherry: carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium benzoate (preservative), caramel color, red 40, sucralose, blue 1
- Creme Soda: carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, potassium benzoate, citric acid, caramel color, artificial flavor, sucralose
References
[edit]- ^National Beverage Corp.Annual Report 2017.National Beverage Investor Relations 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^"History — Shasta".Shastapop.com.RetrievedOctober 22,2012.
- ^Jorgensen, Janice (1994).Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands: Consumable products — Google Books.ISBN9781558623361.RetrievedOctober 22,2012.
- ^Grant, Tina (2007).International Directory of Company Histories.ST JAMES Press. p. 268.ISBN978-1-55862-592-1.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^Jourgensen, Al (2014).Ministry: the Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen.New York: Da Capo Press. p. 57.ISBN9780306824647.RetrievedJanuary 14,2023.
- ^"Flavors".Shasta Beverages.
- ^Berkowitz, Harry (August 31, 1993)."Marketers are zeroing in on children".Sarasota Herald-Tribune.Newsday.p. 1D.RetrievedMarch 5,2013– via Google News Archive.
- ^"Mini Cans: Less is More".Businessweek. April 12, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2006.RetrievedOctober 22,2012.
- ^product nutrition labels, ca. 2011
- ^label on bottle
- ^product label (2017)
