Foxton Fizz is the name of a

soda drink Soda or SODA may refer to: Chemistry * Some chemical compounds containing sodium ** Sodium carbonate, washing soda or soda ash ** Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda ** Sodium hydroxide, caustic soda ** Sodium oxide, an alkali metal oxide * Sod ...

produced in

Foxton, New Zealand Foxton ( mi, Te Awahou) is a town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand - on the lower west coast of the North Island, in the Horowhenua district, southwest of Palmerston North and just north of Levin. The town is located close ...

Background

Back when there were over 230 independent soda factories across New Zealand, most small towns made their own local soda. So, the Foxton Fizz factory started up its machines in 1918, bringing their fizz to Foxton. Foxton Fizz is years old and one of the last independent soda companies in New Zealand. For an entire century, it has operated from the Foxton Fizz factory on 8 Whyte Street and delivering their fizz around New Zealand in their now iconic wooden crates. What started as a local drink soon became a familiar offering in lunch bars and hotels, and a staple at family gatherings and celebrations. The business began to decline after

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

began pushing their product into regional New Zealand. One initiative to try and counter the entry of Coca-Cola was offering a home drop service where customers would get a crate of bottles and then leave the empties out to be swapped for freshly-filled Foxton Fizz (similar to a

milk delivery Milk delivery is a delivery service dedicated to supplying milk. This service typically delivers milk in bottles or cartons directly to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a cow ...

). However the service came to an end following the advent of

Vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The ...

s. Starting as a family business, Foxton Fizz passed through a number of hands in the Perreau family. Foxton Fizz continued to thrive among tough market conditions, making small changes like using reusable glass bottles to replace soda siphons in 1955, and using recyclable cartons 2008 onwards to become a more environmentally-friendly company. At the time of the ownership change in 2006 the company was still using the original machinery from 1918. When Murray Perreau decided to close down a group of friends from Wellington got together and bought Foxton Fizz.

Products

The fizz comes in multiple flavours, including Lime, Raspberry, Kola, Lemonade, Creaming Soda, and Cocktail. In mid 2020 they started producing 1.5L bottle variants.

Extra

An experimental short film,
Fizz Factory
' was shot at the factory in late 2006. The film features a soundtrack that includes excerpts of music by German minimalist composer Hans Otte.

References

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External links

Foxton Fizz websiteClose Up: Foxton Fizz (5:54)
'' TVNZ'', 24 July 2006 New Zealand drinks Beverage companies of New Zealand Foxton, New Zealand Soft drinks