User:Kravk/WIP
 Empty 50/50 pop bottle | |
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Distributor | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Country of origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Introduced | 1870s |
| Color | Green |
| Flavor | Grapefruit and lime |
| Variants | Diet 50/50 |
50/50 is a grapefruit- and lime-flavored soft drink produced in the United States.[1][2] 50/50 is primarily sold in the Midwest, including southern Wisconsin and the Chicagoland area.[3] It is one of the Canfield company's more popular soft drink flavors.[4]
In the 1870s, John Graf of Milwaukee, Wisconsin brewed a number of soft drinks, including Grandpa Graf's root beer and 50/50. Soft drinks became the Graf family business. In 1968, his descendant Lawrie O. Graf sold the business to P & V Atlas, who sold it to Canada Dry, who sold it to the A.J. Canfield Company of Chicago, Illinois.[2] The A.J. Canfield company produced and distributed the drink for nearly three decades. In 1995, Select Beverages, a drink company based in Darien, Illinois, acquired A.J. Canfield, taking over the production of 50/50.[5] Select Beverages was itself acquired by Cadbury Schweppes and The Carlyle Group in 1998.[6] In 2008, Cadbury Schweppes split into Cadbury and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the latter of which continued to produce 50/50.[7][8] Dr Pepper Snapple Group was itself acquired by Keurig Green Mountain in 2018, becoming Keurig Dr Pepper.[9]
50/50 became increasingly difficult to find in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. By early 2024, consumers could no longer find 50/50 on grocery store shelves, leading fans of the drink to believe that it had been quietly discontinued. 50/50 is no longer included on the list of brands owned by Keurig Dr Pepper.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Maas, Tyler (May 20, 2024). "A belated farewell to 50/50, a Milwaukee-born citrus soda that was too good for this world". Milwaukee Record. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Maas, Tyler (December 31, 2020). "Part grapefruit, part lime, all outstanding: A 50/50 appreciation post". Milwaukee Record. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Display Ad 24 - Canfield's Beverages". Chicago Defender Daily Edition. October 9, 1969. p. 25.
- ^ "Arthur J. Canfield, 86; Helped in Expansion of Soft-Drink Company". Chicago Tribune. August 31, 2000. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024.
- ^ Ford, Dawn (July 1995). "Select buys Canfield, creates Midwest powerhouse". Beverage Industry. 86 (7): 14. ISSN 0148-6187.
- ^ Kirk, Jim (24 February 1998). "Select Beverages To Be Swallowed By Joint Venture Firm". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 2, 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Cadbury starts solo against bid background". Reuters. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008.
- ^ "Cadbury PLC Demergery". Cadbury Investors. 2010. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010.
- ^ "Keurig Dr Pepper Announces Successful Completion of the Merger between Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group". July 9, 2018. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.