Woodroofe
Encyclopedia
Woodroofe is a brand of soft drinks in South Australia
.
, South Australia
. The factory was sited at a natural spring, which was the source of water for the firm's products. Woodroofe's innovative products and aggressive marketing saw them operate successfully as a regional independent soft drink producer for over a century. The most popular flavour was, and continues to be, lemonade
.
In the 1970s, the growth of national producers and increasing popularity of international brands (particularly Coca Cola) resulted in Woodroofe facing increasing challenges to its market position. The business was family owned until it was acquired by Adelaide
businessmen Michael Harbison
and Tim Hartley. They reinvigorated the business, including introducing new flavours, such as fruit flavoured mineral water. Briefly, they bottled RC Cola under license.
In 1983, they floated the business as a public company on the Adelaide Stock Exchange. Subsequently, the South Australian Brewing Company purchased the soft drink manufacturing activities and they onsold the business to Cadbury Schweppes
, who closed the historic Norwood factory and relocated production to their facility at nearby Payneham
.
Today, Woodroofe soft drinks continue to be marketed as a regional brand in South Australia
.
, advertised for many years with the slogan and jingle "Still the best lemonade made". Generations of South Australian mothers gave their sick children boiled Woodroofe's lemonade under medical advice.
Other distinctive proprietary flavours included "Big Sars" sarsaparilla
and "Sno-Top" (a brown vanilla-flavoured cream soda
). In addition, Woodroofe's produces a range of fruit flavours.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
History
William Woodroofe and to a lesser extent, Bruce Randall, founded the business in 1878 in NorwoodNorwood, South Australia
Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, the oldest South Australian local government municipality, with a city population over 34,000.-History:...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The factory was sited at a natural spring, which was the source of water for the firm's products. Woodroofe's innovative products and aggressive marketing saw them operate successfully as a regional independent soft drink producer for over a century. The most popular flavour was, and continues to be, lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
.
In the 1970s, the growth of national producers and increasing popularity of international brands (particularly Coca Cola) resulted in Woodroofe facing increasing challenges to its market position. The business was family owned until it was acquired by Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
businessmen Michael Harbison
Michael Harbison
Michael John Henry Harbison was the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, South Australia from 2003 to 2010.Before becoming Lord Mayor, he was a successful businessman and has been a Councillor since 1998....
and Tim Hartley. They reinvigorated the business, including introducing new flavours, such as fruit flavoured mineral water. Briefly, they bottled RC Cola under license.
In 1983, they floated the business as a public company on the Adelaide Stock Exchange. Subsequently, the South Australian Brewing Company purchased the soft drink manufacturing activities and they onsold the business to Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury is a confectionery company owned by Kraft Foods and is the industry's second-largest globally after Mars, Incorporated. Headquartered in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom, the company operates in more than 50 countries worldwide....
, who closed the historic Norwood factory and relocated production to their facility at nearby Payneham
Payneham, South Australia
Payneham is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Norwood Payneham St Peters. It is part of a string of suburbs in Adelaide's north-east with a high proportion of Adelaide's Italian-Australian and French-Australian residents, many of whom can be traced back to the large-scale migration following the...
.
Today, Woodroofe soft drinks continue to be marketed as a regional brand in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Flavours
Woodroofe's best known and most popular flavour is lemonadeLemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
, advertised for many years with the slogan and jingle "Still the best lemonade made". Generations of South Australian mothers gave their sick children boiled Woodroofe's lemonade under medical advice.
Other distinctive proprietary flavours included "Big Sars" sarsaparilla
Sarsaparilla
is a perennial trailing vine with prickly stems that is native to Central America. Common names include Sarsaparilla , Honduran Sarsaparilla, and Jamaican Sarsaparilla...
and "Sno-Top" (a brown vanilla-flavoured cream soda
Cream soda
Cream soda is a sweet carbonated soft drink, often flavored with vanilla.-History and development:A recipe for cream soda—written by E.M. Sheldon and published in Michigan Farmer in 1852—called for water, cream of tartar, Epsom salts, sugar, tartaric acid, egg, and milk, to be mixed together, then...
). In addition, Woodroofe's produces a range of fruit flavours.