A Family's History Behind Stubby Beverages

By Shawn Stimson

When Blair asked me to write about collecting Stubby soda items I didn't know what to say at first. I'm sure if you're reading this article you know about collecting soda pop bottles; the Internet, searching through endless boxes at back road antique shops and garage sales. I'm sure you have also received the odd bottle that was a must have from a friend or family member.

Where did it all start? Well, that would begin with a simple question to my dad about a Stubby soda pop bottle on the shelf in his home office. To my surprise it turned out the bottle was not there because he liked the look of it, but because there was a family history behind it all.

It started in the 1890's with my great grandfather buying a small town soda manufacturing company, later called Cornwall Bottling Works. He bottled with a partner under the name of Stimson & Eamer in the Cornwall (Ontario) area until approximately 1906. In the spring of 1906 the Stimson family purchased Aerated Waters Co. Ltd., Alexandria, Ont. from J.R. Shaw. Three generations ran the business successfully as Alexandria Bottling Works until closing it in 1968. Bottling over the years, the sparkling sodas were always available under the family name and several other popular brands were also offered. Brands included Kel-Ola 1922-1923, Whistle 1922-1943, KiK 1936-1941, Wynola 1940-1943 and under Stubby Beverages from 1939-1968. This was not without numerous requests from other small brands over the years including Nico Cola, Polar Cola, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, just to name a few.

The best is a letter from Coca-Cola Canada addressed to Alexandria Bottling Works dated 1927 with a request to open an Eastern Ontario franchise. To my dismay the decision was made that Coca-Cola was not popular enough and they could not see Coca-Cola making it big. If only they could have seen the future. WOW! In the later years Coke successfully opened a bottling works in Cornwall, Ontario. Stubby turned out to be a very popular brand for the Eastern Ontario district that Alexandria Bottling Works serviced. The Stubby Company was based in Toronto moving over the years from Carlaw Avenue to Logan Avenue and finally to Judson St. Stubby Beverages was the advertising and sales front for the popular soda water. Although not well known, the brains and brawn behind the scenes was always Chocolate Products Canada also based in Toronto on Carlaw Avenue.>

Stubby's start as best I can tell was under Webb's Stone Ginger Beer, later changing bottle logos to Webb's Stubby. Eventually the partner "Webb's" was dropped and this fine beverage was offered under Stubby with Zip in Every Sip. Stubby eventually bottled under Stubby Tops and solely under Tops for a short time. In the late 60's early 70's it all disappeared only to be found on the odd shelf or in the back room of old stores, antique shops and garage sales.

To date I have cataloged over 32 different Stubby Beverages bottles with different labels and styles, numerous advertising pieces from dye cut cardboard store displays to tin signs, cigarette lighters, ashtrays, pens, pencils, straw holders. Many other items are left to be found, such as the paper party streamers they list in a 1958 advertising items list I acquired. Although Stubby advertised that the drinks were available in five delicious flavors I have come across 12 flavors over the years of collecting Stubby memorabilia. Research and collecting has provided knowledge of several Stubby franchises across Canada; most eastern would be MontrČal, Quebec and most western would be Pintcon, British Columbia. The bulk of their business was done through numerous small town bottlers in Ontario.

The day and age of soda waters in siphons and returnable glass bottles is still fascinating to me. To only imagine having been around in the day with companies like Canadian Carbonate, Diamond Flint Glass Co, W.J. Bush Bottler Suppliers, Crown Stoppers, Crown Cork & Seal, Jersey CrĖme Company, Dominion Glass and Mundet cork, the list could go on for ever. I truly believe I should have been born in a different era. Maybe it's in the blood from the family business or maybe it's about hard work, honest living and enjoying a fine cold soda by the town mill. Whatever it may be I must thank my family roots and the strong influential role my father has played in my collecting. I constantly get him to reminisce about the Bottling Works, five flavors and delivering to the small general stores that used to dot rural Canada.

The more I strive to collect Stubby Beverages items the more I'm amazed it never made it bigger or lasted longer. Over years of change and times of war and sugar taxes, Stubby truly put advertising to the limits of its day, keeping up with new jingles and logos and mascots. In the end the demise of small brand soda pops and bottling works can all be linked to the task of keeping up with the rules, taxes, regulations and larger Cola-Cola's and Pepsi's of the industry.

On behalf of all bottles collectors, to their significant others, I apologize for all the long waits in the car and the long drives to find that one elusive bottle that we know is out there but will we ever find it? You heard about it, saw what it looks like in the background of an old fuzzy black and white picture. To collectors of all brands happy hunting; the days of soda fountains, siphons, soda jerks and glass refillable bottles should be brought back.