Country Time

Country Time Lemonade

Type	Soft drink
Manufacturer	Kraft Foods
Country of origin	United States
Introduced	1976
Color	Yellow 5 Lake
Flavor	Lemonade, Pink Lemonade, Lemonade Iced Tea, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade.
Website	http://www.countrytime.com/

Country Time is the name of a brand of lemonade drinks. It is a non-carbonated lemon-flavored drink mix and soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines. The powdered mix is produced by Kraft Foods. A&W makes the bottled and canned ready to drink products.

History

1976 — Country Time lemonade flavor drink mix is first produced.
1977 — Country Time introduces a new flavor – pink lemonade.
1981 — A&W acquires a license to make the bottled and canned ready to drink product from Kraft Foods^[1]
1989 to 1996 — Country Time sponsors a NASCAR car.
1990 — Country Time powdered iced tea mix is introduced in Canada.
1996 — New flavors are introduced: Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade.
1998 — Another new flavor: Lemonade Iced Tea drink mix is introduced.
2006 — Country Time On The Go is introduced.
2007 — Country Time Lite Lemonade and Lite Pink Lemonade are first introduced, with half the sugar of regular Country Time and an advertised 35 calories per serving.
2008 — Country Time Singles, the Canadian version of Country Time On The Go, is introduced.

Flavors

Lemonade

Country Time Lemonade has 40% less sugar than leading regular sodas and claims to be a good source of Vitamin C.

Pink Lemonade

Like regular lemonade flavor, Country Time Pink Lemonade has 40% less sugar than leading regular sodas.

Flavored Lemonade

Country Time Lemonade is mixed with berry and iced tea flavorings as Raspberry Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade or Lemonade Iced Tea, also known in popular culture as an Arnold Palmer.

On The Go

Country Time On The Go is a 10-pack box of Country Time Lemonade drink mix in 10 individual serving packets. Known as Country Time Singles in Canada.

Lite

Sold as Country Time Lite Lemonade and Lite Pink Lemonade, Country Time Lite has half the sugar of regular Country Time and a stated 35 calories per serving.

Production

Ingredients

• Sugar
• Fructose
• Citric acid (provides tartness)
• Contains less than 2% of natural lemon flavorings
• Ascorbic acid (antioxidant vitamin c)
• Maltodextrin (a sweetener containing fewer calories than sugar)
• Sodium acid pyrophosphate (adjusts the pH)
• Sodium citrate (controls acidity)
• Magnesium oxide (prevents caking)
• Calcium fumarate
• Soy lecithin emulsifier
• Artificial color Yellow 5 Lake
• Tocopherol (preserves freshness)

A glass of Country Time Lemonade (8 fl ounces/237 ml) has 16 grams of carbohydrates (all from sugar, approximately 4 teaspoons), * 25 mg of sodium, 0 grams fat, 0 grams potassium, and 60 calories.* It also contains 10% of the US RDA of Vitamin C.*

Brand

Trademark

Country Time is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods North America, a division of Kraft Foods Global, Inc. Used under license.

NASCAR Sponsorship

In 1989, the first year that Country Time Lemonade sponsored a NASCAR car, driver Michael Waltrip had his first top-five finish in the Winston (Sprint) Cup series in the #30 Country Time Lemonade/Kool Aid Pontiac.*

The Chuck Rider owned Country Time Pontiac of Michael Waltrip.

That same year marked the debut of the Country Time Racing Simulator. The first of its kind, the Simulator enabled NASCAR fans at to “get behind the wheel” themselves at races for the first time. In the years that followed, the Simulator spawned generations of copycats and video games.*

In 1991, Bobby Hamilton drove the #68 Country Time Lemonade Oldsmobile for Tri-Star Motorsports, posting four top-ten finishes and narrowly defeating Ted Musgrave for Rookie of the Year.

Neil Bonnett signed for a limited run in 1994 with Country Time as his sponsor in the #51 Country Time Chevy Silverado.

In the 1994 season, Jeff Purvis took over the seat after Bonnett died during practice at Daytona. Purvis drove the car in the NASCAR Winston Cup division. *

From 1991 to 1994, Kraft Foods ran a mail-in offer for a 1/64 Scale Die-Cast Collector Car of Nascar Chevy Stock Car Neil Bonnett’s #51 Legends of Racing. These "Legends of Racing" die-cast collector cars are one of six limited edition series collectibles that are "parked" in sound boxes.

The 1989 MAXX "Special Edition Crisco" set of 24 NASCAR Trading cards includes No. 21 Michael Waltrip, Country Time Lemonade. *

Advertising

This is an old Country Time radio spot.
Watch this commercial from 1978.
Video of Ed Begley Jr. in this Country Time TV commercial.
Chubby Checker performs in a Country Time Lemonade TV commercial, called Sunday Dance, which aired in 1987.

Competitors

Minute Maid Lemonade - paper carton
Simply Lemonade - plastic jug

Philanthropy

Country Time helps support Alex's Lemonade Stand, which was started by a little girl named Alex Scott to raise money for children's cancer research. As the "Official Lemonade of Alex's Lemonade Stand,” Country Time has provided more than $500,000 in support.

References

1. ^ "Country Time". Dr Pepper Snapple Group. 2011. http://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/country-time/. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 

External links

• Official website