All Around Arkansas: Thirsty or Not-- The Grapette Story

               

                A few columns ago I wrote about Clem Bottling Works in Malvern and the tasty sodas it produced, including Clem’s Cola, R-Pep and Clem’s Orange. But there is one drink from Arkansas that at one time was one of the most popular soft drinks in the United States.

                Grapette was a grape flavored soda first created and sold in 1939 by Benjamin Tyndle Fooks (pronounced “folks”) of Camden, Arkansas. Fooks was a traveling salesman who sold soft drinks out of the back of his truck to grocery stores and gas stations throughout southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.

             Fooks soon recognized that of his line of sodas, which he called "Fooks Flavors," the grape-flavored soda was the most popular. Because of this, he focused solely on selling the grape drink and called it Grapette.

             Fooks eventually learned that the name Grapette was already in use for a grape soda produced and sold in Virginia and North Carolina by bottler Rube Goldstein. In March 1940, Fooks met with Goldstein and purchased the Grapette name for $500.

             While most sodas came in 12-ounce bottles, Grapette was unique in that it was sold in a 6-ounce bottle with a painted label and the slogan, "Close to Nature" and, later, "Thirsty or Not." Grapette became a hit and rivaled competitor NuGrape in popularity and sales across the country.

             The success of Grapette allowed Fooks to begin the production and marketing of two more fruit flavored drinks, Lymette and Orangette. Unfortunately, these two sodas didn't last long due to sugar rationing in World War II, so Fooks once again focused on his most popular drink, Grapette.

             After the war’s end, Fooks introduced a knockoff of Coca-Cola called Mr. Cola, as well as two other soft drinks, Botl-O and Sunburst. But none came close to the popularity of Grapette.

             Experiencing burnout, Fooks sold The Grapette Co. to The Rheingold Corp. in 1970. Rheingold primarily sold beer and a few other regional soft drinks in California and New Mexico. In 1970, Rheingold sold the Grapette formula and trademarks to The Monarch Co., the parent company of Grapette’s rival, NuGrape. After the acquisition of Grapette, Monarch quickly shutdown production of the drink to leave NuGrape as the undisputed champion of grape flavored sodas.

             Grapette is still produced here in Arkansas — not in Camden, but in Malvern — by Grapette International Inc. In 1942, R. Paul May, a friend of Benjamin Fooks, acquired the rights from Fooks to sell and market Grapette outside the U.S. The Grapette Export Co. was formed in 1944 and changed its name to Grapette International in 1962.

             Fortunately for Grapette lovers, Grapette International acquired the rights to sell the grape soda in the U.S. using the original Grapette name and formula. Walmart began exclusively selling the drink in its stores in 2000. The company brought back another of Fooks' original sodas, Orangette, in 2004.

             But due to its popularity, Grapette is often harder to find in a Walmart store than an open checkout lane.

             A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He served several years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and worked in all three divisions. He lives in Saline County with his wife and two beloved Boston Terriers. Email him at AllAroundArkansas@Yahoo.com with your comments, questions, and story ideas.