Wikipedia

Hi-C

This article is about the juice drink; not to be confused with High C. For other uses, see Hi-C (disambiguation).

Hi-C is an American fruit juice–flavored drink made by the Minute Maid division of The Coca-Cola Company. It was created by Niles Foster in 1946 and released in 1947. The sole original flavor was orange, with additional flavors introduced in subsequent years.

Hi-C
TypeFruit drink
ManufacturerMinute Maid
OriginUnited States
Introduced1947
ColorColorless (juice boxes)
Colored (fountain)
VariantsSee variations below
Websitewww.hi-c.com

History

edit
A 1958 sales team promotional newsletter excerpt

Niles Foster, a former bakery and bottling plant owner, created Hi-C in 1946. It took Foster over a year to develop the ideal formula for Hi-C orange drink; the formula contains orange juice concentrate, peel oil and orange essences, sugar, water, citric acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The name "Hi-C" referred to its high vitamin content. Hot-packed in enamel-lined 56-ounce (1.66 L) cans, the product needed no refrigeration before opening. After test marketing in 1947, Hi-C orange drink was introduced in 1948 with a massive promotional effort, spending thousands of dollars weekly per market on promotions. Foster entered into an agreement with Clinton Foods, Inc., to produce and market Hi-C, with Foster managing the Hi-C business.

Originally marketed in the Southern United States, Hi-C was introduced into the Los Angeles and San Francisco markets in 1949. As markets for Hi-C were expanded nationwide, so were the contract operations, strategically located near major market areas. The multi-plant system facilitated quick product shipping, minimizing out-of-date merchandise problems. New flavors of Hi-C fruit drinks were developed as an outgrowth of the contract packer system. Grape, the second flavor introduced, evolved naturally from the fact that the Geneva, Ohio, co-packer was also processing fresh grapes. Apple and cherry drinks were introduced as a result of the fresh fruit processing operations at the Paw Paw, Michigan, co-packer plant.

As the Hi-C business continued to grow, it attracted the attention of the Minute Maid Corporation. In 1954, Clinton Foods, Inc. sold its Florida holdings—including Hi-C fruit drinks—to Minute Maid. Niles Foster left the Minute Maid Corporation shortly after the Hi-C brand was purchased. George Roberts, assistant sales manager for Niles Foster when Hi-C was introduced, remained with the company, initially as National Sales Manager for Hi-C, then later as Director of Contract Packer Operations for the Houston, Texas, based Coca-Cola Foods Division, ensuring the successful marketing, promotion, and distribution of Hi-C. The Hi-C business continued to expand with new flavors (orange-pineapple, pineapple-grapefruit, Florida Punch, peach) and innovative marketing techniques. By 1958, Hi-C fruit drinks had become an American supermarket staple, available in every grocery store nationwide.[1]

Product lines

edit

Drink boxes

edit
  • Flashin' Fruit Punch (Blend of orange and pineapple juices)
  • Orange Lavaburst (Blend of orange and pear juices)
  • Torrential Tropical Punch (Blend of orange and pineapple juices)
  • Boppin' Strawberry (Blend of pear and strawberry juices)
  • Grabbin' Grape (Blend of pear and grape juices)
  • Strawberry Kiwi Kraze (Blend of pear, apple, strawberry and kiwi juices)
  • Poppin' Lemonade (discontinued)
  • Blazin' Blueberry (Blend of apple, grape and blueberry juices) (discontinued)
  • Wild Cherry (Blend of pear and cherry juices) (discontinued)
  • Smashin' Wild Berry (Blend of apple, pear, blackberry, blueberry and raspberry juices) (discontinued)
  • Ecto Cooler (discontinued)
  • Candy Apple Cooler (discontinued)
  • Double Fruit Cooler (discontinued)
  • Hula Punch (discontinued)

Drink mixes

edit
  • Flashin' Fruit Punch
  • Grabbin' Grape
  • Mashin' Mango Melon
  • Blazin' Blueberry (discontinued)

Coca-Cola Freestyle

edit
  • Cherry
  • Fruit Punch
  • Grape
  • Lemon
  • Orange
  • Orange Vanilla
  • Raspberry (discontinued)
  • Raspberry Lime (discontinued)
  • Strawberry
  • Blueberry

Fountain

edit
  • Flashin' Fruit Punch
  • Orange Lavaburst
  • Poppin' Pink Lemonade

Hi-C Blast (discontinued)

edit
  • Berry Blue
  • Blue Watermelon
  • Fruit Pow
  • Fruit Punch
  • Orange Supernova
  • Raspberry Kiwi
  • Strawberry
  • Strawberry Kiwi
  • Wild Berry
  • Wild Cherry

Ecto Cooler

edit

Ecto Cooler was a product tie-in with the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters, based on the 1984 live-action film, Ghostbusters. Slimer left the box sometime around 1997. In 2001, Minute Maid discontinued the product, renaming it Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen.[2] Slimer was replaced on the packaging by a similar-looking blob of lips.[3] The product was still noted as ecto cooler on many store receipts.[3] In 2006, Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen was renamed Crazy Citrus Cooler.[2] In 2007, Crazy Citrus Cooler was discontinued.[2]

In April 2016, Coca-Cola announced that Ecto Cooler will return for a limited time, starting May 30, as part of a promotion with the rebooted Ghostbusters.[4] A company spokeswoman said the new drink will have its original sweeteners simplified to just high fructose corn syrup, and other ingredients reduced so it "maintains the correct amount of tartness."[5]

In October 2016, the Ecto Cooler Facebook page announced that the drink would be again discontinued at the end of the year with a post saying "My eyes are welling up with green tears as I write this: #EctoCooler will be laid to rest at the end of this year #RIPEcto." Fans were urged to stockpile the drink while it was still available; however, response to this news from fans was overwhelmingly negative considering the drink was never mass-produced or easy to find in stores during its May to December run.[6]

With the November 2021 release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a direct sequel to the original franchise, Ecto Cooler received an even more limited reissue. The 2021 reissue was not available for retail purchase at all; the only way to acquire the beverage was to win it by responding to official Hi-C and Ghostbusters-related social media posts.[7][8][9][10]

McDonald's

edit

In April 2017, McDonald's restaurants announced they were discontinuing Hi-C Orange Lavaburst from their beverage menu and replacing it with Fanta and Sprite TropicBerry sodas as part of a new promotional deal with Coca-Cola. In February 2021, McDonald's announced that Hi-C Orange Lavaburst would return to their menu by summer 2021.[11][12][13]

edit

The Hi-C Ecto Cooler drink appears in the 2019 Rick and Morty episode Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty, and the 2021 Loki episode Journey into Mystery.[14]

References

edit
  1. ↑ paraphrased from Foodline Volume 16/Number 5/1983, The Coca-Cola Company Foods Division, page 8, interview with George Roberts
  2. 1 2 3 "Ecto Cooler for Adults... - Retro Junk Article". Retrojunk.com.
  3. 1 2 "The Mostly-Complete History of Ecto Cooler". X-entertainment.com. 27 November 2015. Alt URL
  4. ↑ Smith, Aaron (25 April 2016). "Ecto Cooler is coming back for the new 'Ghostbusters'". Cnn.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016.
  5. ↑ Sozzi, Brian (25 April 2016). "Coca-Cola's Hi-C Ecto Cooler is coming back, with some changes". Thestreet.com.
  6. ↑ "Hi-C's Ecto Cooler Discontinued Again After This Year". Slashfilm.com. 2 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Hi-C Ecto Coolers are making an exclusive comeback on social media in honor of Ghostbusters: Afterlife". Guiltyeats.com. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ecto Cooler Is Back for the New Ghostbusters Film – But You Won't Find It in Stores". Foodandwine.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hi-C Ecto Cooler Is Back To Celebrate Ghostbusters: Afterlife Release | 103.7 FM 80s+". 80splusradio.iheart.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  10. ↑ Dave Quinn. "Hi-C Ecto Cooler Spooks Up a Return in Celebration of Ghostbusters: Afterlife Release". People.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  11. ↑ Pomranz, Mike (February 10, 2021). "Orange Hi-C Is Coming Back to McDonald's After a 4-Year Absence: The burger chain had dumped their orange drink in 2017 after 62 years on the menu". Food & Wine.
  12. ↑ Tyko, Kelly (Feb 10, 2021). "McDonald's bringing back iconic Hi-C Orange Lavaburst. Find out when you can get it". USA Today.
  13. ↑ Valinsky, Jordan (February 10, 2021). "McDonald's is bringing back an old favorite to its menu after a customer revolt". CNN Business.
  14. ↑ Parker, Ryan (2021-07-07). "The Split-Second 'Ghostbusters' Easter Egg in 'Loki'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hi-C&oldid=1354196582"