Our Brands
Crush
ORANGE REFRESHMENT SINCE 1916
In 1916, Clayton J. Howell, president and founder of the Orange Crush Company, partnered with California chemist Neil C. Ward to incorporate the company. Ward, a beverage and extract chemist, perfected the process of blending ingredients to create the exclusive formula that yielded the zesty, all-natural orange flavor of Orange Crush. J.M. Thompson of Chicago is recognized as the original inventor of Orange Crush in 1906.
C. J. Howell was not new to the soft drink business, having earlier introduced Howell’s Orange Julep. Soft drinks of the time often carried the surname of the inventor along with the product name. Howell sold the rights to use his name in conjunction with his first brand; his partner, Ward, was given the honors and Crush was first premiered as “Ward’s Orange Crush.”
Orange Crush was the first flavor produced by the company and others followed. Lemon Crush and Lime Crush were introduced in a line known as “the Crushes” within a few years of the brand’s creation. Grape Crush was introduced in 1960, Cherry Crush in 1962 and Pineapple Crush in 1966.
In 1989, Cadbury Beverages acquired Crush USA from Procter & Gamble Co. Colorful new packaging graphics, introduced in 1991, and new Crush Tropical Punch and Crush Peach, introduced in 1992, extended the Crush flavor tradition in the ’90s.
Today, Crush is part of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., an integrated beverage business marketing more than 50 beverage brands throughout North America.
What’s in a name?
Clayton J. Howell included the word “crush” in the original soft drink’s name to refer to the process of extracting oils from oranges.
