Passiona

Passiona
Type Soft drink
Manufacturer Schweppes Australia
Country of origin Australia
Introduced 1925

Passiona is an Australian passionfruit-flavoured soft drink currently manufactured by Schweppes Australia and originally Cottee's.[1]

Pronounced - Passi-ona A similar passionfruit flavoured soft drink produced by Kirks is Pasito.

History

Originally developed as a cordial by Lismore dairy farmer Spencer Cottee during the 1920s to avoid wasting excess passionfruit on his farm, when carbonated Passiona became a foundation product of the Cottee's range.[2] Passiona was first manufactured in 1924, and described in writing in an address to the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce by Spencer Cottee 1925.[3] In 1926, a factory was set up in Sydney, and in 1927 the drink was marketed to the public.[4]

Newspaper reports from the 1930s mention Australians taking the drink with them overseas to Canada and Jerusalem. In 1934, Cottees Passiona Ltd reported a gross profit of £609.

Cottee granted licences to produce the drink to a number of now defunct Australian bottlers, including Geo. Hall & Sons in South Australia and Bowral Bottlers in the NSW Southern Highlands.[5] The trademark as also been used by Cottee's jelly crystal range.

A long time favorite to this day, Passiona is a Cultural Icon and is mentioned in Kath and Kim, where Kim seduces Bretty away from Sharon via icy cold Passiona. Unfair

A local legend claims Cottee stole the recipe of Passiona from the great grandfather of Lee Hartney of the Smith Street Band. A highly vocal minority claim the song 'Passiona' from the band's 2017 album 'More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me' was written in protest to the historical injustice.

References

  1. ↑ "Cottee's Story - A Journey From Passiona To Cordial And Beyond". cottees.com.au. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  2. ↑ "Australian food history timeline - Passiona first developed". Australian food history timeline. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  3. ↑ 'Passion Fruit Culture', The Brisbane Courier newspaper, 17 September 1925
  4. ↑ 'A New Beverage. Advent of Passiona', the Brisbane Courier newspaper, 21 January 1927
  5. ↑ Bill Clarkson (1997) The Pioneers, Chapter One, pg 4, Australian Soft Drink History, www.ozbevnet.com
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