Twig’s Beverage is known far and wide for its Sun Drop soda and glass bottles. Now, the Shawano-based company is making international news after being featured in a story for the London-based BBC media network.
Freelance journalist Gemma Handy wrote the article for the BBC. It was published online in February.
“I was asked to assist with a series of features in celebration of small U.S. firms with an interesting back story,” she said. “Legacy retailers are of particular interest. I reached out to a few American friends for suggestions and one of them — who is from Wisconsin — suggested Twig’s.”
Handy, a British journalist born, raised and trained in the United Kingdom, has been based in the Caribbean since 2006.
“I typically write articles purely about the Caribbean — particularly those that seek to characterize the region in a less two-dimensional fashion,” she said. “I have been a BBC contributor for around 18 years and recently started supplying articles to the BBC Business Desk.”
For the article, Handy interviewed Ben Hartwig, Twig’s vice president.
“It was an absolute pleasure to interview Ben,” Handy said. “His enthusiasm and passion for the business really shone through, and I really wanted to ensure I told their story as authentically as it was told to me.”
Handy said she not heard of Twig’s before the suggestions was made to write about it.
“As soon as I looked them up, I was instantly drawn to their story,” she said. “It had all the components of a piece that would appeal to a wide international audience — human interest with its strong and colorful family history, its commitment to preserving tradition in our rapidly evolving world and its keen sense of community.”
In the article, Handy wrote that until the 1960s, soda bottles in the U.S. were generally meant to be returned. Customers paid a deposit for the glass bottles, then got the money back when they returned them. And the bottles would be washed and refilled over and over again.
With plastic bottles now the norm, glass bottles were phased out — with one exception being at Twig’s.
“We’ve been seeing some families come in for years,” Hartwig said in the article. “Cases get passed down, and the next family member gets to bring them in. That nostalgic feel is something that long-time customers love; they cherish those cases like gold.
“When you look at the date on the bottom of the 16-ounce bottles, some were manufactured in the 1960s and ’70s. It’s really cool to see them still going through our washer today.”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
Freelance journalist Gemma Handy wrote the article featuring Twig’s glass bottles for the BBC. Handy, a British journalist born, raised and trained in the United Kingdom, has been based in the Caribbean since 2006. (Contributed)
Until the 1960s, soda bottles in the U.S. were generally meant to be returned. Customers paid a deposit for the sturdy glass bottles, then got this money back when they returned them. And the bottles would be washed and refilled over and over again. With plastic bottles now the norm, glass bottles were mostly phased out – with one exception being at Twig’s in Shawano. (Contributed)
