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.

Ever wondered how that carton of orange juice or can of iced tea came to be in your hands?

The beverage industry in Brisbane reflects the worldwide trends; it is a multi-billion dollar concern, but it hasn’t just appeared overnight. It has a long and rich history…

Since the seventeenth century, when the Compagnie de Limonadiers of Paris was granted a monopoly for the sale of lemonade soft drinks to local Parisians, the idea of selling soft drinks to the masses has appealed to entrepreneurs.

Below is a 200-year plus timeline of some of the key events showing how the industry has developed from the invention of soda water in the late eighteenth century, through the many packaging inventions, to the latest energy drinks available in Brisbane supermarkets:

• 1767 The first drinkable man-made glass of carbonated water was created in England
• 1798 First use of the term “soda water”
• 1806 Sale of soda water began
• 1810 The first U.S. patent was issued for the mass production of imitation mineral waters
• 1835 The first bottled soda water and soda fountains became available in the U.S
• 1851 Ginger ale was invented in Ireland
• 1876 Root beer started to be mass produced
• 1885 Dr Pepper was invented in Texas
• 1886 Coca-Cola was invented by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia
• 1892, The Crown Cork Bottle Seal was patented – to keep the bubbles in the bottle
• 1898 Pepsi-Cola was invented
• 1899 The production of glass bottles started
• Early 1920’s Automatic vending machines dispensed sodas drinks
• 1929 The first versions of 7 Up and Lucozade were produced in the UK and US respectively
• 1952 The first ‘diet’ soft drink was introduced to the market in the US
• 1957 Aluminum cans were first used.
• 1962 The pull-ring tab was introduced by Alcoa
• 1965 Vending machines started to dispense soft drinks in cans
• 1965 The resealable top was invented
• 1970 Plastic bottles were first used for soft drinks
• 1973 The PET bottle was first created
• 1974 The stay-on tab for cans was introduced in Kentucky
• 1985 Jolt Cola was introduced in the US – with its high caffeine content possibly the first “energy drink”
• Early 2000s – The relaxation beverage market starts as a response to energy drinks

That brings us more or less up to date with the history of the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Next time you have a soft drink in your hands, think about where the packaging and the contents have come from!

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

In our climate here in Brisbane, we need to keep our fluids up! What’s your favourite non-alcoholic tipple? As we approach more sweltering weather, let’s take a look at the most popular non-alcoholic beverages available on the market.

Most of them aren’t too surprising, but there are many interesting “twists” on common drinks that make life just that little bit more refreshing.

Water

Only one place to start, really. Every living organism on the planet needs water to survive; it may be drunk from a puddle or the finest sparkling mineral water sampled from a custom-designed bottle – but it’s still water. A wide range of flavoured waters, as well as still and sparkling bottled waters are available today.

Tea

Tea has been drunk around the world for centuries and was widely used in China thousands of years ago. It’s maybe the English heritage here in Australia that has made the tea-drinking tradition live on; hot black and green teas are very popular but, in warmer climates like ours, cold, iced and flavoured teas are also very popular.

Coffee

Prefer coffee to tea? You’re not alone – the Australian coffee industry is booming. As well as supping a hot cup of your favourite brewed beans in the morning to get that much-needed boost, did you know that there are a range of chilled coffees available that can be enjoyed throughout the day as the temperatures climb?

Fruit Juices

Fruit juices are drunk around the world, from being picked and enjoyed straight from the tree to being poured from a carton or bottle to drink with breakfast. The most popular fruit juice remains fresh orange juice, but a wide variety of other fruit drinks and long life versions are available today, all using fruit juice as their base.

Milk

With Australia producing some of the finest dairy products in the world, we had to include this one. When you think of milk you think of the white stuff, but there are plenty of great variations, with flavoured milk and soy milk varieties now available.

Sodas

Ice cold sodas are still very popular. Huge brands like Schweppes and Coca-Cola tend to dominate the market with household names that everyone recognizes from the supermarket, convenience store or milk bar.

Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are the perfect pick-me-up after a hard day, or to recover from a bout of exercise. They come in many varieties and will replenish lost energy rapidly.

All these non-alcoholic beverages are available from Statis Beverages. We are a premium wholesale drink supplier to Brisbane cafes, restaurants, convenience stores, and bars. Please contact us for information on how we can help supply beverages to your business.