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| Product type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Owner | Keurig Dr Pepper Canada |
| Country | Canada |
| Introduced | 1904; 122 years ago (1904) |
| Markets | Canada,United States,Mexico,Chile,Colombia,Costa Rica,Peru,Europe,Japan,Turkey,Middle East,Africa |
| Previous owners | Cadbury Schweppes (1986–2008) Canada Dry Ginger Ale Inc. (1923–1986) John J. McLaughlin family (1904–1923)[1] |
| Website | www |
Canada Dry is aCanadian-American brand ofsoft drinks[2] founded inToronto, Ontario, in 1904, and owned since 2008 by the American companyDr Pepper Snapple (nowKeurig Dr Pepper) and itself controlled by theGerman-Luxembourg conglomerateJAB Holding Company.[3]
For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for itsginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks andmixers. Although it (as the brand name suggests) originated inCanada, Canada Dry is now produced in many countries including Canada, theUnited States,Panama,Mexico,Chile,Costa Rica,Japan,Turkey and in a number of countries ofEurope and theMiddle East.
The "Dry" in the brand's name refers to not being sweet, as in adry wine. WhenJohn J. McLaughlin originally made his new soft drink, "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale", it was far less sweet than other ginger ales then available; as a result, he labelled it "dry".[4]
In 1890, Canadianpharmacist andchemistJohn J. McLaughlin ofEnniskillen, Ontario, after working in asoda factory in Brooklyn, New York,[5] opened acarbonated water plant in Toronto.[1] McLaughlin was the eldest son ofRobert McLaughlin, founder ofMcLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car.[6] In 1904, McLaughlin created "Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale". Three years later, the drink was appointed to the Viceregal Household of theGovernor General of Canada and the label featuring a beaver atop a map of Canada was replaced with the present crown and shield label.[7]
When McLaughlin began shipping his product toNew York, it became so popular that he opened a plant inManhattan shortly thereafter. After McLaughlin's death in 1914, the company was run briefly by his brother,Samuel McLaughlin. P. D. Saylor and Associates bought the business from the McLaughlin family in 1923 and formed Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Inc., a public company.[1]
Canada Dry's popularity as a mixer began duringProhibition, when its flavor helped mask the taste of homemadeliquor.[8] In the 1930s, Canada Dry expanded worldwide. From the 1950s onward, the company introduced a larger number of products, includingCactus Cooler.
Norton Simon took an interest in the company in 1964, and it merged with Simon's other holdings, theMcCall Corporation andHunt Foods, to form Norton Simon Inc.Dr Pepper bought Canada Dry from Norton Simon in 1982.[9][10] In 1984, Dr Pepper was acquired byForstmann Little & Company, and Canada Dry was sold toR. J. Reynolds'Del Monte Foods unit to pay off acquisition debt.[11]RJR Nabisco sold its soft drink business toCadbury Schweppes in 1986. Today, Canada Dry is owned byKeurig Dr Pepper, which was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008.[1][12]
In 2019, Canada Dry facedfalse advertising lawsuits from a few consumers who requestedclass action status.[13] Although the ingredients included anatural flavour extract made from ginger root,[14] the plaintiffs said the drink did not have enough ginger flavor for people to be able to taste it, and that they thought the advertising slogan indicated that the drink was "made by chopping or powdering the root of the ginger plant", instead of using a small amount of liquid extracted from a ginger root.[13] To settle this lawsuit, the company decided to stop making this claim in the US and to offer between US$5.20 and $40 to affected US consumers.[13][15]
In early 2019, a class-action lawsuit was requested in Canada,[16] where theCanadian Food Inspection Agency regulations specify that ingredients in food may be described as "real" if that ingredient "is present in the food, regardless of what form (e.g., frozen, powdered, ground, concentrated, etc.)".[14] In a settlement, Canada Dry Mott's Inc. agreed to pay $200,000, inclusive of all expenses and fees, plus disbursements of $18,607.61, but it did not require the defendant to change its product labelling or advertising for products marketed in Canada. The settlement amount was to be distributed to the class members by way ofcy-près donation to the Law Foundation of British Columbia, while two lead plaintiffs, Victor Cardoso and Lionel Ravvin, received $1,500 each.[17][18]
The subjectivity of how much ginger is necessary before a product can be fairly described as being "made from real ginger" prompted one author to quip that "The truth is in the lie of the beholder".[14]
Nylon Studios produced the song used in the Rabbit's "Jack's Farm" commercial featuring Canada Dry Ginger Ale.[19] ACantonese version of the ad was also produced.[20]
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