Is it Bloodwine or Budwine? Are they still around?
Thanks to the sixty-six hundred net on Saturday night, March 6, 1999 I talked to some real nice local folks. Let me tell you how it happened--as I sit here listening to Trish call the net so eloquently as she does each Sat., night on 145.140 megahertz (it is receivable by home scanners). Whilst preparing pictures of local bubbas (as story for another time) on my so call "WEB PAGE" I had checked in and heard someone want to make contact from North Carolina with me. As Mr. Richards (KF4NJP) spoke he asked of the cherry cola "BUDWINE" bottled here in Athens, GA. Not really having any idea if it was still being bottled here or not, I told him I would get back to him next Saturday on the net. If you know me it didn't take much to get the blinders on my head and start piddling with ideas. Who? What? Where? Why? When?
First talked to Jeannine Stone Hall, whom had lived on Bloomfield Street back in the 1940's. Being sweet and cheerful along with a memory that would make a tack jealous, she started telling of the connections of BUDWINE and her friend "Bucky" who she grew up knowing, along with the instructions about a 1944 wheat penny that I totally forgot to ask Bucky about. Bucky is a coin collector, she said. He lived on Cloverhurst back then and so give him a call he still lives in Athens and will know a lot about BUDWINE. This is where the story gets more interesting. Mr. "Bucky" Redwine related from memory that from 1905-1910, Mr. Claude Anderson, started the drink as BLOODWINE along with a few other drinks such as YOTTO and the THREE-CENT drink which had a cookie attached and only cost a nickel (for both). Let me say here that as I was taking notes real quick and only hope the spelling is correct of the drinks. Norman Rockwell came out with a picture of a boy drinking a BUDWINE- makes you glad you're thirsty and it really took off from there he said. We talked for awhile and he instructed me to call Mr. Lloyd Florence, he can tell you more about BUDWINE. Geez, this was getting fun. Sure enough Lolyd, loyd -- hang on got to get a phone book (country dictionary) to see how to spell Lloyd, I think there are no Lloyd's in Commerce. Athens worked…back to the story…Lloyd excited, told me that Mr. Claude Anderson originally invented BUDWINE and was related to Martha and Ruby Anderson who were both English teachers in Athens. Which later I found out that my mother and her sisters and brothers were taught by them. They lived on the street that the tree that owns itself is on, Lloyd said. Around 1938 Bill Mathis built the building that housed DR.PEPPER and bottled BUDWINE in the old Carter's Carburetor building that is below the Varsity at the corner of Milledge and Broad Street, as we know it. He also said the name changed from BLOODWINE to BUDWINE about then. They bottled YOTTO, BLOODWINE or BUDWINE, and THREE-CENT drink about once a month then. Red Rock bought it during the war and later was sold to 7 UP and PEPSI around 1960. Call Mack Rhodes and ask him said Mr. Florence, so I did. Mack said there were 13 bottling companies then, just in Athens. Today there is only 2 or 3 in the state. Mack also remembered that Ben Barrow and Dean Tate had interest in the bottling of BUDWINE on Thomas Street and moved to the Hi Hat Building. Then as he recalls, Fred Butler with SUNCREST and NUGRAPE and ROYAL CROWN had interest in BUDWINE and then the Costa family bought the company. The drink with ginger and Capsicum flavor as we call BUDWINE was sold to Southern Beverages packers out of Augusta, GA. Anheuser Busch bought the name as it was real close to BUDWIESER and is no longer as I know being produced said Mr. Costa.
I have found pictures of the BUDWINE machine that is outside the "Old SAUTEE STORE" in Helen, GA. and yes I talked to them also. Here is the URL http://members.aol.com/scanwizard/oldsautee.html.
If you want a giggle go there and ask for a BUDWINE, they remember it well, and have stories too.
Not to be dismayed a few people said that CHEERWINE in Fallsbury, N.C. had a very similar taste to the good old BUDWINE. I've not tasted it yet, but plan to. That goes to show - good things never die.