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Woodroofe (often shortened toWoodies) is a brand ofsoft drinks inSouth Australia.
William Woodroofe and to a lesser extent, Bruce Randall, founded the business in 1878 inNorwood, South Australia. The factory was sited at a natural spring, which was the source of water for the firm's products. Woodroofe's innovative products and aggressive marketing saw them operate successfully as a regional independent soft drink producer for over a century. The most popular flavour was, and continues to be,lemonade.
In the 1970s, the growth of national producers and increasing popularity of international brands (particularlyCoca-Cola) resulted in Woodroofe facing increasing challenges to its market position. The business was family owned until it was acquired byAdelaide businessmenMichael Harbison and Tim Hartley. They reinvigorated the business, including introducing new flavours, such as fruit flavoured mineral water. Briefly, they bottledRC Cola under licence.
Kathy andMichael Harbison (laterLord Mayor of Adelaide) co-purchased Woodroofe in the 1980s, along with the Hartley family, and Kathy Harbison was involved in the day-to-day running of the operations.[1]
In 1983, they floated the business as a public company on theAdelaide Stock Exchange. Subsequently, theSouth Australian Brewing Company purchased the soft drink manufacturing activities and they onsold the business toCadbury Schweppes, who closed the historic Norwood factory and relocated production to their facility at nearbyPayneham. In 2009, Schweppes was acquired byAsahi.
Today,[when?] Woodroofe soft drinks continue to be marketed as a regional brand inSouth Australia.
Asahi/Schweppes closed the Payneham operations in 2016 and shifted their production to Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Perth.
Woodroofe's best known and most popular flavour islemonade, advertised for many years with the slogan and jingle "Still the best lemonade made". Generations of South Australian mothers gave their sick children boiled Woodroofe's lemonade under medical advice.[citation needed]
Other distinctive proprietary flavours included "Big Sars"sarsaparilla and "Sno-Top" (a brown vanilla-flavouredcream soda). In addition, Woodroofe's produces a range of fruit flavours. A former flavour that is no longer manufactured isKola Beer. However, a similar product is now produced byBickford's. Woodroofe's also made a chocolate flavoured carbonated soft drink (Woc) in the 1960s.