Our Brands
Yoo-hoo
A RICH, CHOCOLATEY HISTORY
Since the 1920's, Yoo-hoo has made a permanent mark in the history of beverages.
The story begins in the beginning of the 20th century, when the Olivieri family of New Jersey ran a small business producing Tru-Fruit flavors by squeezing fresh fruit. Mr. Natale Olivieri believed that a chocolate flavor would be a very successful addition to his Tru-Fruit business.
The drink soon became so successful that a major bottler/distributor began distributing Yoo-hoo. Yoo-hoo sales increased and distribution became more widespread.
The following years saw continued success for Yoo-hoo, especially through the efforts of Yogi Berra and his Yankee teammates who supported what was probably the most successful Yoo-hoo advertising campaign in the company's history. The slogans of "Me-hee for Yoo-hoo" and "The Drink of Champions" were made famous by the members of the World Champion Yankee teams of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
In the late ‘50s, B.B.C. Industries, who were distributors for Yoo-hoo in the Bronx and owned the New York Nedicks at the time, became interested in acquiring the Yoo-hoo Beverage Company. Under B.B.C. Industries, Yoo-hoo continued to grow and expand and eventually invoked the interest of Iroquois Brands, Ltd. In May of 1976, Iroquois completed their acquisition of Yoo-hoo Chocolate Beverage Corp. and held it until July 1981.
In 1981, a group of private investors acquired Yoo-hoo from Iroquois Brands. In 2002 Yoo-hoo was acquired by Cadbury Schweppes. The new management expanded distribution while it introduced new products and flavors. Yoo-hoo enjoyed renewed interest and growth as it geared up to become the popular drink that you know and love today.
Today, Yoo-hoo is part of Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., an integrated refreshment beverage business marketing more than 50 beverage brands throughout North America.
What’s in a name?
The name Yoo-hoo was already being used for the fruit drinks and was applied to the new chocolate drink. As far as we know, the term Yoo-hoo may have been derived from some of the popular expressions of the day, which led to the naming of some other beverage products, such as Whooppee, Vigor, and Moxie.
