Minute Maid

Overview

The company was originally incorporated in 1945 as Florida Foods, Inc. It employs over 1,900 people and has over $2 billion in sales (1997 est.).

History

In 1945, the National Research Corporation (NRC) of Boston, Massachusetts, developed a method of concentrating orange juice into a powder using a high-vacuum evaporation process previously developed for dehydrating medical products for use in the U.S. war effort. The US Army had a need for 500,000 lb (227,000 kg) for the war, so NRC created a new branch, the Florida Foods Corporation. Led by John M. Fox, the company won the government contract for $750,000. The war ended and the contract was canceled before the factory could be built, but with investment, the company moved forward with a product.

Rather than selling powder to the public market, the company decided to create frozen orange juice concentrate, using a process that eliminated 80 percent of the water in orange juice. A Boston marketing firm came up with the name Minute Maid, implying the juice was quick and easy to prepare.

The first shipment took place in April 1946. The same month, the company was renamed Vacuum Foods Corporation. With limited funds for advertising, Fox himself went door to door giving free samples, until demand skyrocketed.

In October, 1948, TIME magazine announced that entertainer Bing Crosby was to employ a 5-day a week radio show to promote Minute Maid. The magazine article gave further details. "Minute Maid (retail price: 29¢ a pint and a half) got into the field first in 1945, at a new $2,300,000 plant in Plymouth, Fla. With little cash to advertise, it lost $450,262 the first two years. Last year it finally turned the corner. Says Vacuum’s President John M. Fox: “Why, this orange juice thing is the wonder of the grocery world. Ask anybody.” Anybody in the frozen food industry agreed—and Birds Eye, Snow Crop and others began to put out their own concentrate. Nevertheless, Vacuum’s sales increased so much that President Fox announced last week that the net profit for its last fiscal year was $179,865. Demand is so great, said Fox, that Vacuum has had to allocate shipments and is thinking of setting up a California plant. The shortage temporarily takes some of the bloom off the Crosby deal. But Vacuum hopes to step up output enough to fill the new orders Crosby will bring in. And in the scramble for the new market, Vacuum figures that Crosby is just the Pied Piper needed to lure customers away from the old brand names."

The Crosby radio show ran until October 1950 and the ability to purchase fresh-tasting orange juice at any time of year, far from where oranges are grown, proved popular, and led to the company's national success.

In October 1949, the company adopted the name Minute Maid Corp.

The Minute Maid company was purchased by Coca-Cola in 1960.

In 1967, Minute Maid relocated to Houston, Texas, and is joined with Duncan Foods to form the Coca-Cola Foods division.

In 1970, the company was involved in a scandal in the United States about bad housing, often referred to as "slave quarters," and working conditions of Minute Maid farm laborers in Florida. The United Farm Workers stepped in to support the workers. NBC reported on the issue in a 1970 documentary called Chet Huntley's Migrant: An NBC White Paper. In response to the bad press and a boycott in Florida, the company established a program that improved the workers' situation.

In 1973, the company released its first ready-to-drink, chilled orange juice product in the United States, entering an "orange juice war" with Tropicana.

In 1996, the name was changed from Minute Maid Corp. to The Minute Maid Company.

The Coca-Cola Company sold its Minute Maid orange groves in Florida in 1997. The United Farm Workers again took the side of the orange growers during this time.

In 2001, the Minute Maid division of Coca-Cola launched the Simply Orange brand.

In 2002, Minute Maid bought the naming rights to re-brand the Houston Astros ballpark from Enron Field to Minute Maid Park.

In 2003, Minute Maid's division fully merged with Coca-Cola North America.

Brazil

Canada

Colombia

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica Minute Maid sells Hi-C products.

Chile

China

France

Dominican Republic

Hong Kong

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

in production

Japan

Minute Maid POI - Aloe & White Grape

Kenya

Malaysia

Mexico

Netherlands

Pakistan

Minute Maid entered the Pakistani market in 2008. Here they have used the same advertising concept as they have used in India i.e. "where is the pulp?".

Paraguay

Philippines

Peru

Russia

Minute Maid is marketed under the brand "Моя семья" (eng. "My family"). Also Minute Maid Pulpy Orange is selling under the brand "Добрый" (eng. "Kind")

Spain

United States

Taiwan

Trinidad and Tobago

Venezuela

Vietnam

Other products

Headquarters

Minute Maid has its headquarters in an office building in the Sugar Land Town Square development in First Colony, Sugar Land, Texas.

In 1985, The Coca-Cola Company purchased the 2000 St. James Place in Houston from Bechtel Corporation for Minute Maid. Minute Maid moved into the new office building the following year.

In 2007, Coca-Cola retained New York-based Corporate Realty Consultants and Boyd Commercial LLC of Houston to sell 2000 St. James Place. The company negotiated with Planned Community Developers to lease an office building in Sugar Land Town Square. Then, in January 2008, Minute Maid announced plans to move its headquarters to Sugar Land. The headquarters building is located at Sugar Land's town center and opened on February 16, 2009. The city of Sugar Land gave the company a $2.4 million tax incentive to move its headquarters there.