Hires Root Beer, the oldest continually produced soft drink and for many years the most popular root beer in America, has been slowly vanishing from supermarket shelves over the past 20 years. It is now unavailable in most portions of the United States and Canada.
Hires was introduced at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia by Charles E. Hires, a Philadelphia pharmacist, and went on to make millions with his delicious concoction. The Hires company remained in family hands until 1960 and through a series of sales over the next 30 years, ended up being acquired by Cadbury Schweppes in 1989.
The decline of Hires as a brand started with Cadbury Schweppes, who decided to concentrate their soda marketing efforts on more popular sodas. In 2008, Cadbury Schweppes spun off its soft drink division into the current Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which chose to promote its own A&W Root Beer brand and phase out Hires.
Today, Hires is still available in select stores in Maryland and North Carolina, as well as online at Walmart, Amazon, and BevMo.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Available in Walmart | Yes |
Available in Amazon | Yes |
Available in BevMo | Yes |
Available in SodaFinder | No |
Available in RootBeerStore | No |
What You'll Learn
- Hires Root Beer is available at Walmart, BevMo, and Amazon
- It can be purchased from The Root Beer Store, but their website is undergoing maintenance
- Hires was the first root beer, created by a Philadelphia pharmacist in 1876
- It is now hard to find in the US and Canada due to the beverage industry's focus on more popular sodas
- Hires is still produced by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, but they are phasing it out in favour of their A&W Root Beer brand
Hires Root Beer is available at Walmart, BevMo, and Amazon
Hires Root Beer, the original root beer, is available at Walmart, BevMo, and Amazon.
Walmart offers Hires Root Beer in 12-ounce cans, with 12 cans in a pack. BevMo, a specialty beverage retailer, also offers Hires Root Beer in 12-ounce cans, with 12 cans in a pack. Amazon offers a wide range of Hires Root Beer products, including root beer extract, soda syrup, powder drink mixes, and vintage metal tin signs. Amazon's Hires Root Beer products are available in various pack sizes and prices, with some eligible for free delivery.
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It can be purchased from The Root Beer Store, but their website is undergoing maintenance
Hires Root Beer is a rare and highly sought-after drink, and it can be purchased from The Root Beer Store. However, their website is currently undergoing maintenance, so you may need to wait a while before placing an order.
In the meantime, you could try contacting the store directly to enquire about purchasing Hires Root Beer. They may be able to provide an alternative method of placing an order or give you an estimate of when their website will be fully functional again.
It is also worth noting that Hires Root Beer is available from other online retailers, such as Amazon, BevMo, and Sodafinder. However, it seems that these sources may be less reliable, as Hires Root Beer is in the process of being discontinued.
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Hires was the first root beer, created by a Philadelphia pharmacist in 1876
Hires Root Beer was created by Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires in 1876. It was one of the longest-running soft drinks in the United States and is often celebrated as the original root beer.
Hires first tasted root beer while on his honeymoon in 1875. By the following year, he had developed his own recipe and was marketing 25-cent packets of powder, each yielding one US gallon (3.8 L) of root beer. He also gave away free glasses of his root beer at Philadelphia's Centennial Exposition in 1876.
Hires marketed his root beer as a solid concentrate of 16 wild roots and berries, claiming it could purify the blood and make rosy cheeks. He soon began producing a liquid extract and syrup for use in soda fountains and was shipping root beer in kegs. By 1890, the Charles E. Hires Company had incorporated and began supplying Hires root beer in small bottles, claiming to have sold over a million by 1891.
Hires was a strong believer in advertising and is famously quoted as saying, "doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does." Heavily advertising his product, adapting to the changing times, and emphasising its supposed medicinal qualities, Hires helped make his root beer one of the most popular drinks in America.
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It is now hard to find in the US and Canada due to the beverage industry's focus on more popular sodas
Hires Root Beer, the oldest continually produced soft drink and for many years the most popular root beer in America, is now hard to find in the US and Canada. The brand has slowly vanished off supermarket shelves over the past 20 years and is now unavailable in most portions of the United States and Canada.
The decline of Hires can be attributed to the beverage industry's focus on more popular sodas. Through acquisitions and mergers, big companies acquire smaller competitors, often choosing to eliminate their brands instead of expanding them.
In the case of Hires, the brand suffered when it was acquired by Cadbury Schweppes in 1989. Cadbury Schweppes decided to concentrate their marketing efforts on more popular sodas and promoted their own A&W Root Beer brand instead of Hires. This led to Hires gradually being phased out and becoming harder to find.
Today, Hires Root Beer is still produced but is mainly available in certain states, including North Carolina, Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, and Washington. However, even in these states, the product seems to be phasing out, and it is challenging to find Hires outside of a small number of select stores.
The fierce competition in the beverage industry and the focus on more popular sodas have made it difficult for consumers to find and enjoy Hires Root Beer, a brand that once held a special place in the hearts of many.
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Hires is still produced by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, but they are phasing it out in favour of their A&W Root Beer brand
Hires Root Beer is still produced by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, but they are phasing it out in favour of their A&W Root Beer brand. Hires was first introduced at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia by Charles E. Hires, a Philadelphia pharmacist, and went on to become the oldest continually produced soft drink and, for many years, the most popular root beer in America. However, the brand has slowly been vanishing off supermarket shelves over the past 20 years and is now unavailable in most portions of the United States and Canada.
The decline of Hires as a brand began when it was acquired by Cadbury Schweppes in 1989, who decided to concentrate their marketing efforts on more popular sodas. In 2008, Cadbury Schweppes spun off its soft drink division into the current Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which decided to promote their own A&W Root Beer brand and slowly phase out Hires.
Today, Hires is only produced by a handful of bottlers, including the Independent Beverage Group of North Carolina, and is becoming increasingly difficult to find in stores. Despite this, there are still a few stores in Maryland and North Carolina that carry Hires, and it can also be purchased online through retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.
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Frequently asked questions
Hires Root Beer is available at Walmart, Amazon, and BevMo. It is also available at some local stores in certain states.
Hires Root Beer has slowly been vanishing off the shelves of supermarkets over the past 20 years. It is now unavailable in most portions of the United States and Canada. The brand has changed hands many times over the years and the current owner, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, has decided to focus on marketing more popular sodas.
Hires Root Beer is still being produced by the Independent Beverage Group of North Carolina. However, it seems to be phasing out production of the soda.