Jolly Good soda makes a quiet return

Word-of-mouth advertising is still a great way to get the word out about a product. Especially if that product is an iconic, beloved soda brand with roots in Wisconsin that once spread throughout the Midwest. The soda brand, Jolly Good, is now being revived by a Sheboygan firm. From the Herald Times Reporter:

RANDOM LAKE – Before bringing his family’s defunct, Wisconsin-made soda back to life, John Rassel first wanted to see if there was still demand for what was once a ubiquitous Midwest soda brand.

So far, the answer has been as emphatic as the soda’s name – Jolly Good.

Late last year, the fifth-generation Krier Foods plant in Random Lake began producing Jolly Good soda for the first time in nearly a decade and quietly placed it in a handful of small, eastern Wisconsin gas stations and retailers.

Since then, despite almost no advertising, people have been driving hours to load up on a product that had vanished from store shelves, and the company’s social media accounts have been flooded by commenters giddy over the prospect of the brand’s return.

“Everyone is happy to see it,” said Rassel, who took over the family business in December and now serves as president and sole owner. “Now, we’ve got to get it out there.”

The initial test run consisted of 22,000 cases of what were historically the most popular Jolly Good flavors — cream, cherry, grape, orange and sour pow’r — recreated from the original recipes and sold in a 12-ounce can.

Read more on this story from the Herald Times Reporter.