Walking around local antique shops I’m always looking at soda bottles and other products once made in St. Louis.
Back in 2018, I found out about Ritz Beverage through a soda bottle label I purchased.
Well, I noticed another bottling antique that caught my eye, this time a wooden bottle crate.
The crate read “Rob’s Cola”, but after further inspection, someone used paint or a marker to change Bob to Rob. I suspect this alteration was done by no one other than Rob himself.
So what and where was Bob’s Cola? The crate said St. Louis, but was it a local brand or simply bottled here for another company?
After a couple clicks, it looks like Bob’s Cola was bottled in the Tower Grove South neighborhood at 4803-17 Oleatha Avenue.
4817 is the office building to the left
This is right across the street from General Candy Company for those who know.
4817 Oleatha was the official address used in advertisements. The bottling factory started out as Red Rock Beverage Co., built in 1941. Red Rock Beverage was based in Atlanta, GA.
Official city records on Geo St. Louis have the building dating back to 1934
The bottler on Oleatha went through many iterations and ownership changes over the years. They contract bottled for many different companies and brands, eventually bottling Squirt, Frostie Root Beer and many other brands both long gone and still produced.
But the mystery was solved, Bob’s Cola was bottled on Oleatha Avenue in Tower Grove South.
“It’s 1940. The world is on the brink of war and the United States is still struggling to shake off its hangover from the Great Depression. My great-grandfather, Benjamin J. Frink had a dream and a loophole where he could get the same amount of sugar rations as big cola companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Sensing an opportunity, he switched from tobacco to soda-pop and started Bob’s-Cola.For the next 15 years Bob’s-Cola churned out half a dozen flavors to hundreds of thousands of thirsty customers throughout the Southeast and as far west as Texas. Over the next 40 years much of the bottles, signage, and paraphernalia was lost, but then eBay appeared.As for the name, B.J. Frink thought it sounded friendly because everyone has someone in their family named Bob. Except us, ironically. No Bob’s in our family. Not even a Robert.”
In 1951, Frink died, and the cola company did not survive long after his death. By 1955 the company was sold and the Atlanta bottling plant was later razed to make way for a mass transit station.
One of the best sources of information and photos of old bottles is at antique-bottles.net. Forum member “Bottle-Bud” has an extensive St. Louis bottle collection and a lot of good research and information.
Bottle-Bud put together a plausible timeline complete with plenty of bottle photos to corroborate the Oleatha location. He admitted it was hard to put a solid timeline together since there were so many name changes, multiple bottlers and Bob’s franchisees in St. Louis. There was another Bob’s Cola Bottling Co at 1556 S. 7th Street, which is right across from the Soulard Market (now a surface parking lot in the Kosciusko Neighborhood).
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - February 20, 1948
Per his findings:
“This story starts in in 1941 when a new bottling facility is erected at 4803-4817 Oleatha Avenue in South St. Louis. Red Rock had a full line of different flavors and was franchised by the Red Rock Cola Company of Atlanta. Thrill was a soda that was franchised from Green & Green of Houston, Texas.”
The Thrill and Red Rock bottles are from 1941.
“By 1947 Red Rock Beverage Company became Bubble Up Bottling Company. Bubble was franchised by the Bubble Up Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri. Bubble Up will get new ownership and move to Peoria Illinois around 1958.”
“I found an old ad for Grape Win Soda from a local newspaper dated 1948. Grape Win was a product from Merwyn Concentrates of St. Louis and bottled by Bubble Up Bottling Company. I have a 7-ounce bottle dated 1948 that matches the ad. My bottle says Grape Win Bottling Co. but I am guessing it was bottled on Oleatha Avenue. Many bottling companies would operate under different names. Also, in 1948 Bubble Up Bottling Co. is advertising for Mason’s Root Beer. I do not have a Mason’s bottled by Bubble Up Bottling Co. The one pictured is dated 1950 and bottled by The Hygrade Water & Soda Company of St. Louis.”
Notice the Post-Dispatch ads list the Oleatha address.
Swanee was bottled on Oleatha as well. He showed photos of bottles dating to 1947 and 1950.
“We don’t have to wait long for another name change, 1951 rolls along and the bottling establishment on Oleatha is the Squirt Bottling Company. Squirt is a very popular drink franchised from The Squirt Company of Beverly Hills, CA. I have two bottles from Squirt Bottling Co. in St. Louis, a 7-ounce bottle dated 1952 and a 12-ounce dated 1957.”
“The name Squirt Bottling Company will last until 1957 when the name changes one last time to the Squirt-Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. But from 1952-1957 another soda is being bottled on Oleatha known as the Frostie Bottling Company. Frostie is a root beer franchised from The Frostie Company of Baltimore, MD. I have only one St. Louis marked Frostie bottle, a 12-ounce dated 1952.”
“(By)1965, the Squirt-Dr. Pepper Bottling Company will move to a new bottling plant located on Fyler Avenue, only a few city blocks from Oleatha.”
Looks like there are a couple follow-ups I have to sate my curiosity. I need to get some photos of the former bottling company at 4433 Fyler Avenue, I need to find these bottles and I need to contact the current businesses in the Oleatha and Flyer locations to see if there are any artifacts left in the buildings to share with you all, kind readers.
Further, Bottle-Bud listed an ad referring to a pasteurized chocolate drink.
My mind immediately went to Yoo-Hoo; but, I think it was Jo-Jo, also referred to as Swanee Chocolate.
Add that to the list of bottles I’m on the prowl for.
