No-Cal Soda
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1952 |
| Flavour | chocolate, black cherry, ginger ale, root beer |
No-Cal was the first zero-calorie soda.[1]
History
Hyman Kirsch and his son Morris, both Russian immigrants living in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, began selling sodas in 1904.[2] Their involvement with the Jewish Sanitarium for Chronic Disease (now known as Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center), led them to the invention of a sugar-free drink to meet the needs of the hospital’s diabetic patients.[3]
Hyman and Morris developed a line of carbonated, sugar-free, zero-calorie soft drinks which they called No-Cal, that they began selling in 1952.[1] The soda was produced at the company’s plant in College Point, Queens, New York.[4]
Advertising
No-Cal used up-and-coming Hollywood starlets such as Kim Novak and Julie Adams in their print ads.[4] Cartoonist Stan Goldberg did the advertising art for a No-Cal Soda billboard in Times Square.[5]
Decline
As major soda producers such as the Coca Cola Company and Pepsico launched their own diet brands in the 1960s, No-Cal found it hard to compete, lost market share, and slowly disappeared.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Encyclopedia of junk food and fast food ,Andrew F. Smith, p.116, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006
- ↑ Bowling World, Jan 2006, p.8
- ↑ No-Cal Comes to Larchmont
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The History of No-Cal". PopSoda.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. (Requires scrolldown)
- ↑ Marvel Comics, Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: "More Mirthful, Monumental, Mind-Staggering Memoranda from Your Marvel Madmen!" (March 1966 issues, including Thor #126: "Stan G., our curly-haired, mustachioed demon artist/colorist has just drawn an ad for one of the biggest soft-drink companies. (Its initials are No-Cal!) If you're in the Times Square area, you can see it on the biggest billboard in sight."
External links
- "No-Cal Soda Pop". BevNet.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.