Liquid Cool: A History of Capri Sun

Capri Sun was the definition of "liquid cool" for American kids in the 1990s. But when it first debuted in the U.S., its distributor wasn't sure if consumers would try something so weird as juice in a pouch. This is the story of how Capri Sun when from a strange novelty to an iconic kids' drink. Sources: “Merger Route to Helm of Firm,” Dick Griffin, The Kansas City Star, Jul 7, 1968 “Ali Not Soft on New Drink, Old Money,” The Miami Herald, Dec 25, 1978 “Is New Fruit Drink Really Natural,” Debbie Gump, Tucson Citizen, Oct 12, 1979 “Consumer Panel,” Susan C. Thomson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jun 3, 1980 “Pouches Put Capri Sun in Good Light,” Jan Hofmann, Daily News, Jun 15, 1981 “Foil Pouch Fruit Drink Available in Madison,” The Capital Times, Mar 10, 1982 “Shasta Shapes Push for its Fruit Drink,” George Lazarus, The Kansas City Star, Mar 21, 1982 “Capri Sun Squeezes Out Big Share of Fruit-Drink Sales,” George Lazarus, Chicago Tribune, Aug 22, 1982 “Space-Age Good Packaging Made for Mobile Earthlings,” Joyce Rosencrans, The Cincinnati Post, Mar 24, 1982 “Consumer Panel Says ‘Can It’ to New Soft Drink,” Dennis Kelly, The San Bernardino County Sun, Apr 4, 1983 “Quiet Success of Consolidated Food,” Herb Greenberg, Chicago Tribune, Jan 15, 1984 “Thirsty for a Firm? Try Shasta,” George Lazarus, Chicago Tribune, Aug 16, 1985 “Hayward-Based Shasta Sold to Florida Company,” The Oakland Tribune, Nov 8, 1985 “Designs for Marketing No. 1,” Primo Angelo, 1988 “Coolness Factor Important in Marketing to Youth,” Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Examiner via Record Searchlight, Jul 25, 1991 “Capri Sun Bright Offering for Kraft,” George Lazarus, Chicago Tribune, Dec 20, 1991 “KGF Completes Capri Deal,” Citizen Register, Dec 20, 1991 “A New ‘Box’ Fight,” Chicago Tribune, Apr 14, 1997 “Kraft Sues for Labeling of ‘All-Natural’ Capri Sun,” Herald and Review, Jan 9, 2007 “Kraft to Relabel Capri Sun Packages,” Susan Salisbury, The Palm Beach Post, Jan 9, 2007 “HFCS is Not ‘Natural,’ Says FDA,” Lorraine Heller, Beverage Daily, Apr 1, 2008 “Glob Shows Power of Populace,” Gregory Karp, Daily Press, Jun 25, 2010 “‘Unfortunately, Yes’, Mold Did Grow in Capri Sun: Kraft Foods,” Ben Bouckley, Beverage Daily, May 5, 2013 “Letter from FDA Clarifies Natural Status of High Fructose Corn Syrup,” International Dairy Foods Association, Oct 16, 2013 “FAQ,” Capri Sun website, 2014 “Kraft Heinz is Announcing a Voluntary Recall of Capri Sun Wild Cherry Flavored Juice Drink Blend Beverages Due to Potential for Chemical Contaminants,” FDA, Aug 12, 2022 “Sales: Leading Aseptic Juice Brands U.S. 2022,” Statista, Oct 25, 2023 “Capri Sun Goes Beyond the Pouch: Launches New Multi-Serve Format with 32 Pouches’ Worth of Classic Fruit Punch Flavor,” Kraft Heniz press release, May 15, 2024