Passiona
 | |
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Schweppes Australia |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Introduced | 1925 |
Passiona is an Australian passionfruit-flavoured soft drink currently manufactured by Schweppes Australia and originally Cottee's.[1]
Pronounced - Passi-ona A similar passionfruit flavoured soft drink produced by Kirks is Pasito.
History
Originally developed as a cordial by Lismore dairy farmer Spencer Cottee during the 1920s to avoid wasting excess passionfruit on his farm, when carbonated Passiona became a foundation product of the Cottee's range.[2] Passiona was first manufactured in 1924, and described in writing in an address to the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce by Spencer Cottee 1925.[3] In 1926, a factory was set up in Sydney, and in 1927 the drink was marketed to the public.[4]
Newspaper reports from the 1930s mention Australians taking the drink with them overseas to Canada and Jerusalem. In 1934, Cottees Passiona Ltd reported a gross profit of £609.
Cottee granted licences to produce the drink to a number of now defunct Australian bottlers, including Geo. Hall & Sons in South Australia and Bowral Bottlers in the NSW Southern Highlands.[5] The trademark as also been used by Cottee's jelly crystal range.
References
- ↑ "Cottee's Story - A Journey From Passiona To Cordial And Beyond". cottees.com.au. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
- ↑ "Australian food history timeline - Passiona first developed". Australian food history timeline. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
- ↑ 'Passion Fruit Culture', The Brisbane Courier newspaper, 17th September 1925
- ↑ 'A New Beverage. Advent of Passiona', the Brisbane Courier newspaper, 21st January 1927
- ↑ Bill Clarkson (1997) The Pioneers, Chapter One, pg 4, Australian Soft Drink History, www.ozbevnet.com