Featured in this lot is this original porcelain enamel Sunkist Growers sign circa 1940s. The American citrus cooperative Sunkist Growers, Incorporated was founded in the late 1800s when citrus growers in California started banding together for their own advantage, particularly during lean economic periods. P.J. Dreher and his son Edward Dreher founded the Southern California Fruit Exchange in Claremont, California, in 1893. Given that it accounted for 45% of the state's citrus market, it was renamed the California Fruit Growers Exchange in 1905. Sunkist made the decision to target the soda industry as part of their effort to discover new applications for oranges. Apart from promoting the fruit itself, Sunkist started pushing orange juice and lemonade as healthier substitutes for "artificial" drinks like Coca-Cola. General Cinema Corporation licensed the Sunkist name to produce a new soda. General Cinema was the biggest independent Pepsi bottler at the time. A significant R&D effort was conducted on the concept in 1977 and 1978 when they looked into the ideal levels of carbonation, color, and taste. They released the recipe to the wider public after they were satisfied that they had perfected it. Prominent Coca-Cola and Pepsi bottlers received franchises for the formula. They were the most popular orange soda in the US by 1980. The sign shows a green background with white and orange lettering reading, "Sunkist Grower". It shows the original six grommets in the mounting holes, three on top and three on the bottom. The sign shows good condition overall with some wear to some of the corners and edges, but no obvious signs of damage are present. The sign measures 11 1/2" L x 19 1/2" W.

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