Polar Beverages

Infobox Company
company_name = Polar Beverages
company_
company_type = Privately held company
foundation = 1882
location = Worcester, MA, USA
key_people = Ralph Crowley, Jr.
industry = Beverages
products = Polar Seltzers, Sodas and Mixers
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =
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homepage = [http://www.polarbev.com/default.html Polar Beverages website]
footnotes =

Polar Beverages is a fourth- generation, family-owned business that traces its roots back to 1882 and is based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The company is currently run by Ralph Crowley, Jr., the great-grandson of founder Denis Crowley. It is the largest independent soft-drink bottler in the United States.

The company creates many of its own beverages including a full line of sodas, seltzers, and mixers, while also bottling other regional and national brands. Polar products are often personally "imported" to the New York Tri-State area due to the large population of Bostonians now living in the area.

Other brands that Polar bottles and distributes

* 7Up
* AriZona
* Cape Cod Dry
* Country Time
* Gatorade
* Izze
* Hydrive
* Squirt
* Nantucket Nectars
* The Beast
* Sunkist
* Snapple
* RC Cola
* Fiji water
* Monster Energy
* All Sport
* Moxie
* Rush!
* Glacéau Products (Vitamin Water)
* O Beverages
* Steaz
* Stewart's
* Caribbean Iced Tea

Orson the bear

Polar is famous for its billboard off of I-290 in Worcester. Next to the billboard sits the company mascot, Orson the inflatable polar bear. Orson is known for "disappearing," because of vandalism.

Conflict with Coca-Cola

In 1994 Polar made a TV commercial where a polar bear considers drinking a Coke, but throws it away and drinks a Polar seltzer instead. Coke sued Polar and got a restraining order against the ad which they claimed infringed on their previous television advertisements which contained polar bears. [Steven M. Cordero. [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/property/respect/antibarbie.html Cocaine-Cola, the Velvet Elvis, and Anti-Barbie: Defending the Trademark and Publicity Rights to Cultural Icons] . Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, 1998.]

References

External links

* [http://www.polarbev.com Polar Beverages website]
* [http://www.hoovers.com/polar-beverages,-inc./--ID__108689--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml information from Hoovers.com]