Green Spot (soft drink)

Green Spot
Green Spot drinks exported by Thailand in a Hong Kong store, 2020
TypeOrange drink
Country of origin United States
Introduced1934; 90 years ago (1934)
ColorOrange

Green Spot is a brand of non-carbonated, non-caffeinated orange-based soft drink originating in the United States but today produced in Thailand and Venezuela.

Green Spot was established in the United States in 1934, based in Claremont, California.[1] The brand soon expanded internationally, and had a presence in Shanghai by the late 1930s[2] It established operations in Hong Kong in 1950 (by K.C. Leong, in a partnership with Vitasoy),[3] Singapore in 1952,[3] Thailand in 1954 (by banker Chin Sophonpanich),[4] Sarawak in 1957,[5] as well as the Philippines[6] and Indonesia,[3] among others.

The soft drink was sold in the Netherlands as well. In 1962, the Dutch artist Wim T. Schippers emptied a bottle in the sea near Petten. He managed to make it an international news item.[citation needed]

Green Spot disappeared from the market in the United States around the 1960s and in most other countries thereafter. Its original company, Green Spot USA, now produces flavorings for beverages, ice-creams, and other food products.[1] The beverage continues to be produced and sold in Thailand by Green Spot Co., Ltd. (which also produces the soy drink Vitamilk)[4] and in Venezuela by Embotelladora Venezuela S.A.[7]

  1. ^ a b Bergstrom, Matt. "Green Spot Orange". delicioussparklingtemperancedrinks.net. Minnesota Museum of the Mississippi. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  2. ^ French, Paul (11 August 2016). "Bigger than Coke in old Shanghai – Green Spot Orangeade". China Rhyming. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c York Lo (13 September 2021). "K.C. Leong (梁溎春)– F&B Industrialist and his Family and Ventures". industrialhistoryhk.org. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b Chudasri, Darana (16 June 2017). "Green Spot splashes out B4bn on plant". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  5. ^ "About us". Sundrop. Sundrop Fruit Juices Sdn. Bhd. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  6. ^ Castro, Alex (22 March 2019). "15 Vintage Soft Drinks that Refreshed a Generation of Filipinos". Esquiremag.ph. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  7. ^ Kevin Arteaga González (1 July 2020). "Dos empresas de Carabobo reconocidas como las mejores de 2019 por Conindustria". El Carabobeño (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 November 2022.