BOTTLE
CultureCanadian
Dimensions29.5 cm (11 5/8 in.)
Object numberXHF.2023.1.11
DescriptionA green glass bottle with cap and liquid inside. The bottle is round and tapers at the shoulders to a thin neck and lip. An image of a beige square is present on the front and back just above the shoulder with an “S” at the center. At the front bottom center is a large square with “Seaman’s Pale Dry Ginger Ale Matured – Sparkling – Mellow” at the center. The back of the bottom has beige text at the bottom center with “This Beverage Is Made To Please The Most Discriminating This Bottle Not To Be Used By Any Other Bottler Seaman’s Beverages LTD. Charlottetown, P.E.I Contents 30 Fluid Ounces”. The cap of the bottle is green metal, with small frills along the outer edges. The top of the cap lists the ingredients in French and English with “Ginger Ale Soda Gingembre” at the center. Narrative
Seaman’s Beverages was founded in 1938 by Francis Rundell (F.R.) Seaman. Seaman rented space at 57 Water Street in Charlottetown to outfit for production of soft drinks and by June 1st 1939, Seaman was prepared to sell his first batch. The first recipes patented by Seaman were “Seaman’s Iron Brew”, “Seaman’s Ginger Ale”, “Seaman’s Orange Thrill” and “Seaman’s Root Beer”. In 1952, Seaman’s acquired the franchise Pepsi-Cola allowing the company to produce the popular soft drink which by the 1980s, outsold Coca-Cola products 5 to 1 giving PEI the nickname of “Pepsi Country” thanks to Seaman’s strong community support. In the 1960s, the company expanded its premises and built its bottling plant at 51 Water Street, which is still called the Seaman’s Building. Seaman’s Beverages was sold to Pepsi Bottling Group in 2002. At the time the company was sold, Seaman’s was still bottling and distributing 12 of their own soft drinks both on and off Island.
By 2020, Olde Fashioned Orange and Ginger Ale were the only two Seaman's flavours that remained but Pepsi ceased production of these products in that year.
