Faygo

Faygo
Type Carbonated soda
Manufacturer National Beverage Corporation
Country of origin Detroit, Michigan, United States
Introduced 1960s
Website www.faygo.com

Faygo Beverages, Inc., is a soft drink company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The beverages produced by the company, branded as Faygo or Faygo Pop, are distributed in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Central Southern regions of the United States, and southern Canada. Faygo is imported in Europe by American Fizz, an official distributor of Faygo. Faygo Beverages, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Beverage Corporation, started in Detroit, Michigan, in 1907, as Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works.[1]

History

The original logo used until 2015.

The Feigenson brothers, who developed Faygo, were originally bakers from Russia. Faygo first became available in 1907 in bottles with only three flavors: grape, strawberry, and fruit punch. These flavors were based on the Feigenson brothers' cake frosting recipe. They charged three cents for one bottle, and five cents for two bottles. The brothers bought their first delivery truck in 1922, and started home deliveries the following year. They also introduced a low-calorie version in the 1960s called Ohana. In the 1980s they introduced flavored carbonated water.

In the 1920s as the company expanded, they thought the brand name "Feigenson Brothers" was too long and changed it to Faygo.[2] The brothers ran the company until the mid-1960s, when they turned it over to their sons.[1] In 1969, the company created a series of radio and television advertisements featuring a fictional cowboy called the Faygo Kid, who was portrayed in animation for television commercials for Faygo Old-Fashioned Root Beer.[1]

Because the drink had a limited shelf life, the company only sold its products in Michigan until the late 1950s. Company chemists later resolved this issue by installing a filtration system to remove impurities from the manufacturing plant's water system.[1] In the 1960s, the soda's regional popularity expanded when the company began advertising during broadcasts of Detroit Tigers games.[1] Commercials produced in the 1970s featured "everyday people" on the Boblo Boat singing the "Faygo Boat Song".[1] Tree Sweet Products Corp. sold the company to National Beverage Corp. in 1987.[3] In 2007, Faygo celebrated its 100th anniversary.[1]

Reception

Faygo brands were praised in the September 2009 issue of Bon Appétit magazine, ranking Faygo Root Beer as the best tasting American root beer, describing it as "dry and crisp, with a frothy head, a good bite and a long finish".[4][5]

In pop culture

The horrorcore group Insane Clown Posse references Faygo in several of their songs.[6][7] Positive audience reaction to an early concert performance in which Violent J threw an open bottle at a row of hecklers resulted in the group continuing to spray their audiences with the drink.[7] They repeated this practice which developed into the Juggalo culture's "Faygo Showers".[8]

In the webcomic Homestuck, the character Gamzee Makara is portrayed as an avid consumer of Faygo, as part of his representation of the above-mentioned Juggalo culture. So is the character Terezi Pyrope, whom passes out after drinking it multiple times, similar to liquor.

Rapper Isaiah Rashad references peach Faygo on his album Cilvia Demo in the song "Brad Jordan".

Rapper Machine Gun Kelly references Faygo in his mixtape album Black Flag in the song "Street Dreams".

Rapper Eminem also mentions Faygo in at least 2 songs; 'As the World Turns' (Slim Shady LP) and 'Marshall Mathers' (The Marshall Mathers LP)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Smith, Joel (March 2, 2007). "Faygo celebrates 100th birthday". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  2. ↑ Anders, Melissa (April 28, 2013). "What's in a name? Here are the stories behind Biggby, Zingerman's, Founders, Faygo, Domino's". The Flint Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "National Beverage Corp. Company History". Funding Universe Company Profiles. Funding Universe. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  4. ↑ "root beer". Bon Appétit. 54 (9): 26. September 2009.
  5. ↑ Rector, Sylvia; Powers, Nancy Chipman (August 28, 2009). "What's going on: Faygo Root Beer ranked No. 1". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ Dominic, Serene (October 29, 2008). "(Not) just a juggalo". Metro Times. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  7. 1 2 Brant, Marley (2004). Tales from the Rock 'n' Roll Highway. Billboard Books. pp. 43–52. ISBN 0-8230-8437-X.
  8. ↑ Sunderland, Mitchell (30 April 2015). "Tears of a Clown: The American Nightmare That Created the Insane Clown Posse". Vice. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
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