In 1911, Neil C. Ward, a California-born beverage chemist, perfected the blending process, making the drink palatable and commercially viable. Five years later Ward partnered with Clayton J. Howel to form the Orange Crush Company. Howel had previously developed "Howel's Orange Julep," an orange syrup. The headquarters for the company was in Chicago with laboratories in Los Angeles. Soft drinks of the time often carried the surname of the inventor along with the product name. Howel sold the rights to use his name in conjunction with his first brand so it premiered as Ward's Orange Crush.
Originally, artificial orange pulp was added to their bottles creating an illusion of freshly squeezed juice. The pulp deception was soon removed from the bottles. Bottles were originally ribbed in clear glass but in 1937 the drink was bottled in brown glass. The bottle design eventually discontinued the amber glass and ribs for a larger clear bottle giving it a fresher, more modern appearance.
The single orange flavor was market-limiting and the name was changed to simply Crush, offering several flavors. Keurig Dr Pepper now owns the Crush brand.
Pictured is the clear bottle, circa 1920
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