History of National Beverage Corporation

National Beverage Corporation was founded by Nick A. Caporella from Pennsylvania in 1985. Currently he is the chairman and CEO of the company. Its brands include Big Shot, Clear Fruit, Crystal Bay, Everfresh, Everfresh Premier Varietals, Faygo, LaCroix, LaCroix Cúrate, Mr.Pure, Nicola, Ohana, Ritz, Rip It, Rip It 2oz Shot, Ritz and Shasta.

Nick Caporella started out as a contractor and worked as the CEO of telecom firm Burnup & Sims before founding his soft drinks business.

In 1985, he acquired the Shasta Beverages of Sara Lee Corporation for around $40 m to give business to National Beverage Corp. In the same year, National acquired prominent Midwest regional soft drink-maker, Faygo, to expand its operations to the national level.

The acquisition of Faygo and Shasta also gave National Beverage 12 bottling plants scattered throughout the United States, each located near major markets. As the company moved forward, it used its bottling facilities to bottle its own drinks and to bottle private-label brands.

In mid-1990s, National acquired Everfresh Beverages Inc., and WinterBrook Corp., a still and carbonated water producer, which eventually made National the owners of Cascadia, WinterBrook Clear and LaCROIX from WinterBrook. In 1996 the company added LaCroix to the portfolio.

By the mid-1990s, National Beverage had increased its stature within the U.S. beverage industry, becoming the nation's fifth largest producer in 1996. By this point, the company had diversified into the production and sale of teas, bottled water, and juice products, adding to the scores of soft drink flavors it produced.

In 2003, National brought out its first product, Shasta Shortz, a kid-based soda. In the same year, National launched Frutika, a fruit juice line. In the next year, in 2004, National launched the Splenda No Calorie Sweetener in its Diet Shasta brand.

The company partners with Jones Soda Company in 2006 to manufacture and sell Jones brand soft drinks and energy drinks.

Currently, National Beverage Corp. is one of the largest producers, distributors, and sellers of non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.
History of National Beverage Corporation