There was a time when if you wanted a glass of orange juice, you didn't go to the refrigerator. You went to the freezer.
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Waiting inside would be a cylinder of concentrated Minute Maid, which you would mix with water in a pitcher to get that taste of fresh-squeezed oranges.
Those cans have been around since 1946. But soon they will be no more. The Coca-Cola Company, which owns the Minute Maid brand, has announced it will discontinue its canned products this quarter.
That means between now and April, Minute Maid's classic orange juice, lemonade, limeade, pink lemonade, and raspberry lemonade will be gone for good.
Why Is Canned Minute Maid Being Discontinued?
Good Housekeeping reports that Coca-Cola chose to discontinue Minute Maid's canned juice line because of "shifting consumer preferences."
"With the juice category growing strongly, we're focusing on products that better match what our consumers want," a spokesperson said in a statement. It also mentions that in-store inventory will be available "while supplies last."
If you want to relive that feeling of making orange juice in a pitcher, then you'd better stock up now. You'll only be able to get your hands on a can or two for only a few more months.
Why Did We Put Orange Juice in Cans, Anyway?
As we reported a few years back, food was being shipped overseas to troops during World War II. However, soldiers needed vitamin C to help prevent diseases like scurvy, but it was impossible to keep real fruit juice fresh for those long trips.
Scientists developed a dehydrated, powdered orange juice, and the Florida Foods Corporation won the contract to make it. But by then, the war had ended. They then turned that idea into frozen concentrate.
The name Minute Maid was created by a Boston marketing firm to convey the idea of convenience and speed. It developed a national radio campaign featuring Bing Crosby to promote the new fruit drink.
Sales of the frozen beverage skyrocketed. In 1948, they had three plants making the concentrate, but that number grew to 10 by 1949. Minute Maid was purchased by the Coca-Cola Company in 1960, and the brand added lemonade and fruit punch in 1980.
