How are Soft Drinks Produced?

On a hot Brisbane day there’s probably nothing you enjoy more than quenching your thirst with your favourite soft drink – maybe an iced tea, a mineral water, a fruit juice or a soda. But have you ever stopped to wonder how these drinks are made?

Many of these drinks are made right here in Brisbane, but from what? And what’s the general process used to create a soft drink?

What’s in a Soft Drink?

In the late 1700s Europeans and Americans started to drink sparkling mineral water, which was widely thought to have therapeutic benefits. Soda water was soon invented, consisting of water and sodium bicarbonate mixed with acid for effervescence. Flavours were added, creating ginger ale, sarsaparilla, root beer, lemonade and other fruit drinks, and that’s when they started to resemble modern day soft drinks.

Since the 1960s soft drinks have often replaced sugar with artificial sweeteners to lower the calorie count of many soft drinks; the caffeine content of some drinks was also reduced, though that reversed when energy drinks came onto the market in the 90s; however, health concerns have led to other drinks being developed that are totally free of artificial colours and preservatives.

The most popular beverages today consist mainly of water (up to 95%), sugar (up to 12%), and a range of flavorings which may be natural, “natural identical” (chemically synthesized imitations), or completely artificial. Emulsions (consisiting of water-based elements, such as gums and pectins) may also be added to make their appearance more pleasing.

The most recognisable versions of modern soft drinks – like a can of Pepsi or Lift – have combinations of ingredients that help top create the celebrated blend of sweetness, tartness, and acidity (pH).

How are They Made?

In Brisbane, like elsewhere around the world, soft drinks are generally made at the bottling or canning plant. Most of the brand name drinks you know and love provide licenses for the bottlers to create the drinks, based on strict adherence to formulas and manufacturing processes.

In general, for soda drinks the process is as follows:

1. The water is clarified – this is a crucial step as all water-based soft drinks depend on the purity of its main ingredient. Coagulation, filtration and chlorination remove impurities.
2. The water is filtered, sterilised and dechlorinated – it is usually passed through a sand filter; a carbon filter is used to dechlorinate it after it has been sterilised.
3. The ingredients are mixed – dissolved sugar and flavor concentrates are pumped into batch tanks for mixing together using sophisticated mixing machinery.
4. It is carbonated – once the mix is complete, carbon dioxide is usually added
5. The drink is bottled or canned –  and immediately sealed
6. The drinks are labelled – once they reach room temperature
7. The drinks are packed into cartons or trays – and dispatched!

Statis Beverages is a Brisbane-based, premium wholesale beverage supplier. Please contact us for information on how we can help supply soft drinks to your Brisbane business.

How to Select a Good Beverage Distributor

Without good beverage distributors, thirsty people around Brisbane wouldn’t be able to get hold of their favourite soft drinks day in day out! Imagine another sweltering day without that ice cold tea or that flavoured mineral water to help you along…

But what makes a good distributor? How does a small convenience store, cafe or restaurant select one that will look after them well into the future?

Below are a few of the features that make a good beverage distributor in Brisbane:

Organised and Reliable

Delivering the right products on time to the right place requires efficient and streamlined processes. If the back-end is well- organised and well-managed then the front end will be reliable.

Great Customer Service

A good distributor will rectify mistakes quickly and excel in service, making customers feel like they have a partner upon whom they can rely to look after them in the long term. Larger customers should have a dedicated account manager to look after ongoing bulk orders.

A Wide Range of Products

Providing a wide range of beverages for retailers to choose from means they don’t have to source multiple suppliers; dealing with the same one or two friendly faces each time to keep the fridges stocked is a big plus. A good distributor should have quick access to new drinks on the market too.

Great Prices and No Delivery Fees

Of course distributors must pass on cost savings to their customers; retail and hospitality businesses can run on low margins so these savings can make a big difference to the bottom line. Free delivery should be fundamental.

Marketing Initiatives

Serious beverage distributors need to help a store or cafe sell their beverages. Inquire about a beverage refrigeration solution to suit your business, as well as display units and other marketing initiatives.

Large Enough to Cover a Wide Area

Distributors with the muscle to cover a wide area can deliver to multiple locations of the same business around the local Brisbane area.

Statis Beverages is a quality beverage distributor offering all of the above. We are Brisbane-based, Australian-owned and operated, and family-run; and we pride ourselves on providing great service, reliability and value to greater Queensland retailers and hospitality outlets since 2002.

Please contact us for information on how we can help supply premium soft drinks to your Brisbane business.

How did Coca Cola become popular?

Coca Cola wasn’t always the mega brand it is today. But how did it get that way?

The story started in 1886 when a pharmacist, John Styth Pemberton made just another potion to sell in his pharmacy. This particular one was made of cane sugar, caffeine, coca leaf extract and kola bean extract. This produced a syrup that was diluted with water.

The name, Coca Cola, was created by Mr Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, who through his penmanship skills also designed the iconic logo seen on every Coca Cola product today.

Pemberton sold portions of his business to a number of pharmacies in Atlanta where he lived. Unfortunately he died a few months later but had unknowingly created a brand that would be recognised throughout the world.

The majority holder of Pemberton’s business was now a man named Asa Candler, who grew a distribution network across America through the use of Soda Fountains. By 1891 Mr Candler had bought out all the other share holders and was the sole owner of Coca Cola, forming the Coca Cola Company in 1892 and patenting the recipe the following year.

In 1894 a soda fountain owner in Mississippi named Joseph Biedenharn, first bottled Coca Cola after installing a bottling machine in his establishment. Just 5 years later, the rights to bottle Coca Cola, and thus allowing the first large scale Coca Cola distributor to become operational, was bought for just $1 by three Tennessee businessman. 

Due to Coca Cola’s success imitations of the beverage where rife but in 1916 a special patented bottle, said to be modelled on the Kola bean, was produced which set the brand apart from all the rest.

That same year, Asa Chandler retired from the business and left it to his children. Their reign didn’t last long, as just 3 years later they sold the business for $25 million to Ernest Woodruff. After making his son president of the company in 1923, Coca Cola’s success grew as they were selling 6 million bottles a day. This success increased exponentially to the point where in 1950, 50 million bottles were being sold every day.

The success of Coca Cola is not only down to the exceptional product but in a large part down to Coca Cola marketing the product correctly. In 1897, a cutting edge tactic, for the time, was used by giving away coupons for free samples. This was followed up by newspaper advertising and the creation of promotional products to send to beverage distributors. In more recent times big budget TV advertisements are the preferred advertising method with the Coca Cola Christmas advertisement being one of the most iconic. Coca Cola were also the first company to sponsor the Olympic games in Amsterdam and have continued that commitment to this day.

All of this marketing has clearly had a big effect on Coca Cola’s global presence as it is now sold in over 170 countries and more than 600 million bottles are sold every single day!

The 6 differences between Pepsi and Coke!

Everyone has had an argument about which is better but it can still be extremely hard to distinguish between Pepsi and Coca Cola in a blind taste test. Here are some hints and facts to help you out:
1.      Sweetness Pepsi tastes sweeter than Coke. Despite having a similar sugar content Pepsi contains more artificial sweeteners so tastes sweeter in your mouth. 

2.      Carbonation Coke has more ‘fizz’ than Pepsi. When you first take a sip notice this in your mouth. However, when it starts running down your throat Coke has a much smoother feel, whereas Pepsi will maintain it’s fizziness. 

3.      Taste Coke contains Vanillan, a chemical that tastes like vanilla, but Pepsi has a more citrus and fruity flavour.

4.      Buzz! Pepsi contains more caffeine per can than Coke so if you need to stay awake Pepsi is the one to choose.

5.      Leave it open for a time The flavour profile of both Pepsi and Coke changes over time, so leave an open can or glass on the side and taste again. Coke will have become watery and bitter, but Pepsi’s flavour will have intensified.

6. Ask or look at the can! If you’ve bought a can from a shop the obvious solution is to check the packaging. If however, you are out, ask your Pepsi or Coca Cola distributor what you are drinking. After all, we want to be drinking our favourite!