GRAPETTE ANYONE?

Not that I want to extol virtues of being in the hospital to visit my Dad, sometimes location is everything. As I have shared my brother's Rotary Club meets in the hospital cafeteria's meeting room every Wednesday where my Dad is so I decided to have lunch my first Wednesday here with the Rotarians as my brother's guest.  His club's speaker theme this year are locally owned businesses.

David Rice, the speaker this particular week was from the 1939 founded International beverage company that my Arkansas cronies and I grew up with, the well known brand Grapettes. Here in the South some 300 factories are sent the flavor concentrates to create the sweet brilliantly colored beverages. Now Grapettes and Orangettes are sold exclusively in Wal-Mart. 

Our speaker's grandfather started in the water bottling business in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He then founded the Grapette industry in Camden where both grape and orange fruit concentrates were made and later moved to Malvern where customized flavors are produced and shipped worldwide. In Central and South America, the sweeter the better and in Southeast Asia prefers more bitter flavors. The business continued until the 60's until it was then sold to Pepsi. The Concorde grape concentrate could fill some 30 swimming pools full of the Grapette beverage. There are 30 bottles/case. The product is diversifying now even sports drinks and powder drinks even diet brands. 

During the busy season about 20 folks are employed but the core staff are about a dozen. 

We all got a bottle of Grapette to take home. I swear I reverted to being 10 years old while I was enjoying downing it. Nothing beats a flavor from the past..