setName:"Pure Spring (Canada) Ltd. fonds" found 11 records - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network

Pure Spring (Canada) Ltd. fonds

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn101321

Collection: Pure Spring (Canada) Ltd. fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Material Type: multiple media

Physical Description: multiple media

Fonds No.: B0018

Date: 1962-2010 (with gaps)

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of: 3 photocopied articles from the trade publication, "Canadian Beverage Review"; 1 photocopied article in "Executive"; 1 Ottawa Citizen article; 4 Pure Spring paper cups; 1 wooden distribution crate for Pure Spring soft drinks; A six pack Pure Spring carrying case with 6 empty gree…

Collection: Pure Spring (Canada) Ltd. fonds

Description Level: Fonds

Material Type: multiple media

Physical Description: multiple media

Scope and Content: Fonds consists of: 3 photocopied articles from the trade publication, "Canadian Beverage Review"; 1 photocopied article in "Executive"; 1 Ottawa Citizen article; 4 Pure Spring paper cups; 1 wooden distribution crate for Pure Spring soft drinks; A six pack Pure Spring carrying case with 6 empty green glass Gini bottles in it; An original glass bottle of Pure Spring Ginger Ale, sealed, with the original soda.

Date: 1962-2010 (with gaps)

Fonds No.: B0018

Storage Location: A.1.1 - Individual Collections A.1.3

History / Biographical: In 1905, David Mirsky, son of Ottawa's first Rabbi Jacob Mirsky, started bottling spring water that came out of a limestone rock formation on “Nanny Goat Hill” near LeBreton Flats. From those humble beginnings a soft drink empire was born. When David was 14 he entered the workforce as a “newsie,” peddling magazines, snacks and soft drinks on the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Gatineau train. Within five years he had worked his way up to freight agent and started work in the CPR station. It was there in the station that David noticed the incredible volume of soft drinks being shipped from all over the country into Ottawa. He began to wonder why soft drinks couldn’t be manufactured locally. David began to collect glass bottles (which were scarce at the time) and returned them to Bradings Brewery. He eventually was able to arrange a deal with Bradings; in return for bottles David was given permission to build a small shack on the Brewery grounds in LeBreton Flats as well as the right to tap spring water that ran down the escarpment on Nanny Goat Hill, near what is today Booth and Albert Streets. David initially named his company “The Ottawa Bottle and Trading Co.” and his first product was simply a five gallon can of spring water. Deliveries were done by horse and wagon in the summer and by sleigh in the winter. The wagon and sleigh were replaced with trucks in the 1920's. In the 1920's, David noticed the continuous shipments of ginger ale and ginger beer from England, and decided to begin flavouring and carbonating his water. With the introduction of his new products, the company was renamed "Pure Springs," a name that would endure for the next 60 some years. David's early operation was modest, using hand operated equipment in his home in the evenings to develop products. Over the years, David brought his sons into the business; Norman Mirsky, who focused on product development (and who would become president of the company during WWII), and Mervin Mirsky, who focused on sales, merchandise and promotion. John Mirsky, the third son, worked in the business before WWII before setting his sights on legal career which was tragically cut short when he was killed in a car accident. Mervin left the business during World War II to fight in Europe. Upon his return, he briefly entered into the legal field with his twin brother Jack, but it was not long until he returned to the family business. Upon his return, Mervin helped to breathe new life into the soft drink company which had suffered a hit during the 1930's. Under Mervin's direction a variety of expansion plans and innovative ideas were instituted. One of his greatest feats was to develop a formula that would retain carbonation in their drinks for at least 24 hours. The Mirsky’s were also credited with bringing twist caps and soda cans to North America from England. By 1969, Pure Spring had increased sales 3000% over two decades. In April 1969, the company opened a modern, one-story plant on Belfast Road in Ottawa. Pure Spring products could be found across Canada, from the Maritimes, to Alberta and to the Arctic Circle. Outside the country products were sold in the United States, West Indies, Bermuda and Dominican Republic. At its peak, it was said that Pure Spring had annual sales in the $50-million range. Their best known sodas were Ginger Ale, Honey Orange, Gini, Minted Grape and Cream Soda, but products also included One Cal Cola, Brio Chinotti, Black Bing Cherry, Mexican Cream Soda, Spruce Beer, Strawberry, Grapefruit and Lime, and EXPO Chocolate, which was made for a limited time for Expo 67. The Mirsky family eventually sold Pure Spring to Crush International, the soft-drink giant, in the mid-1960’s, though Mervin Mirsky continued to be involved in operations until 1987.

Acquisition Source: Pure Spring paper cups and crate donated by Sharon Edelson, 2007 and 2008; Gini bottles, Pure Spring carrying case and sealed ginger ale bottle donated by Emily Leonoff in January, 2014.