 | |
.JPG) R. White's lemonade, est. 1845 | |
| Type | Carbonatedlemonade |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Britvic |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1845; 180 years ago (1845) |
| Related products | Tango |
R. White's is a British brand ofcarbonatedlemonade, which is produced and sold in the United Kingdom byBritvic. Robert and Mary White produced the first R. White's lemonade inCamberwell, south London, in 1845.[1] The White Family took over H. D. RawlingsLtd. in 1891, the year that it was incorporated—a merger which made White's the biggestsoft drinks company in London and thesouth-east—and then R. White & Sons Ltd. was itself incorporated in 1894.[2][3] The company was taken over byWhitbread in the 1960s, and was later absorbed by Britvic in 1986, when Britvic andCanada Dry Rawlings Ltd. merged.
In the 1970s R. White's also made orangeade,dandelion and burdock, andcream soda. The lemonade product, formerly made using sugar, has (as of 2012, possibly earlier) changed the traditional recipe, replacing some sugar withaspartame,saccharin andacesulfame K.[4] R. White's still contains real lemons and is available in regular, diet, Traditional Cloudy, Raspberry, Pear and Elderflower varieties. A television commercial from the 1970s, "Secret Lemonade Drinker", was ranked seventh in a 2000 UK wide poll of "The 100 Greatest TV Ads".[5]
In 1845, Robert and Mary White started selling home-brewed ginger beer from a wheelbarrow inCamberwell, London under Robert White's name.[6] As a nod to this heritage, today the wheelbarrow features inBritvic's packaging of R. White's drinks.[7] The business saw rapid expansion, and by the late 1860s it had five production units and 16 depots in theMidlands of England and London.[8] White's, who had concentrated onlemonade, took over H. D. Rawlings Ltd, a company that specialised inmixers, and the merger made White's the biggestsoft drinks company in London andsouth-east England.[2] Robert White's sons, Robert James and John George, joined the business, and they became R. White & Sons Ltd.[2]
By 1887, White's produced a range of flavours and products, all of which were sold inCodd’s glass bottles.[2] Choices available included strawberry soda, raspberry soda, cherryade, cream soda, pineapple cider, ginger beer, soda water and orange champagne.[2] Prices ranged fromeightpence to ashilling per dozen. At the beginning of the 20th century more than 40 different soft drink flavours were on sale.[2]
In 1914, during theFirst World War, over 100 R. White employees served in the armed forces and the company supplied the government with over half their horses and vans. In theSecond World War, a great part of the vehicle fleet was commandeered by the government and used by the army. Duringthe Blitz three major factories were wiped out in London alone.[9]
In 1973, the 'Secret Lemonade Drinker'advertising campaign was launched by London agency Allen, Brady and Marsh and devised byRod Allen, who wrote the slogan. The adverts featured actorJulian Chagrin in pyjamas creeping downstairs to raid the fridge for R. Whites Lemonade, only to be caught by his wife, played byHarriet Philpin.[10]Ross McManus wrote and sang the advert's song, with his son Declan McManus (later known asElvis Costello) providing the backing vocals. An alternative, unaired version of the advert featured Costello and his father onstage, as the 'Secret Lemonade Drinker' fantasised about being a rock star.[11]
The commercials were the brand's best known advertising campaign and continued to air until 1984 and won a silver award at the 1974International Advertising Festival.[12] There was also a version of the commercial in 1985 featuringJohn Otway as the secret lemonade drinker in a phone box.[13]
The secret lemonade drinker was reintroduced in 1993, starring actor and comedianJulian Dutton as the eponymous Secret Lemonade Drinker, and various celebrities have featured in the commercials including comediansRonnie Corbett andFrankie Howerd, actorNicholas Parsons, tennis playerJohn McEnroe (who had two versions) and footballers turned punditsIan St John andJimmy Greaves. One version dubbed the advert entirely in Japanese; another version had another sultry woman (played byYolanda Vázquez) appear randomly to kiss Dutton (before he is rejoined by his wife, now played byJulie Dawn Cole), while yet another featured the animation ofMr Benn, with the voice of original narratorRay Brooks.[14][15] In 2000, “Secret Lemonade Drinker” was ranked seventh inChannel 4's poll of "The 100 Greatest TV Ads".[5] Julian Chagrin and Harriet Philpin returned in 2012 to advertise R White's Lemonade Lollies.[16]
Media related toR. White's Lemonade at Wikimedia Commons
