Type soda Introduced 1869 | Manufacturer J & R Bottling | |
 | ||
Country of origin New York, United States | ||
Dr. Brown's is a brand of soft drink made by J & R Bottling. It is popular in the New York City region and South Florida, but it can also be found in Jewish delicatessens and upscale supermarkets around the United States. Slogans for the products have included: "Imported From the Old Neighborhood" and "Taste of the Town."
Dr. Brown's was created in 1869 and was commonly sold in New York delicatessens and by soda salesmen who sold the product from door to door in Jewish neighborhoods. According to former marketing director, Harry Gold, a New York doctor used celery seeds and sugar to invent the cream soda and celery tonic now known as Cel-Ray, which was advertised as a "pure beverage for the nerves."
In the early 1930s, before Coca-Cola received kosher certification, many Jewish people drank Cel-Ray soda as well as the other flavored soda that had been created by Dr. Brown. In the last 25 years, the cans were redesigned by Herb Lubalin. Each of the six Dr. Brown's flavors is packaged with a New York vignette taken from old prints, to emphasize the brand's origins in 1800s New York.
In 2013, J & R Bottling transferred the bottling rights to LA Bottleworks. The bottling of the product will continue to be produced at the same facility. As of 2014, Dr Brown's is produced by PepsiCo in their New York City bottling plant. Dr. Brown's is owned by the Honickman Beverage Group.
Dr. Brown's varieties include: cream soda (regular and diet), black cherry soda (regular and diet), orange soda, ginger ale, root beer, and Cel-Ray (celery-flavored soda).
Dr. Brown's soda is typically sold in 12-ounce cans and in one-liter and plastic bottles as well as two-liters in Black Cherry, Cream, and Root Beer flavors. Dr. Brown's soda is also available in a 6-pack of 12-ounce glass bottles.