Goody Soda
“Thirst Come—Thirst Served”
Goody Soda was made by the Willow Springs Distillery that opened in Omaha, Nebraska in 1866. By 1894, Willow Springs was the third largest distillery in the US. They manufactured alcoholic beverages like gin, rye, whiskey and bourbon until Prohibition, when manufacture of any alcoholic beverage became illegal. In 1919 they changed their name to Willow Springs Bottling and began making only near beer, malt and soft drinks.
Advertising for Goody Soda from the late 1940’s shows a character called “Goody”. This young man was used to promote sales of Goody soda to storeowners. I can find vintage Goody soda bottles online, dating as recently as the 1960’s. I don’t know exactly when they stopped making it.
Willow Springs Distillery
4th and Pierce Streets
Omaha, Nebraska
Flavors that Goody soda was available in included Strawberry, Chocolate and Black Cherry. If you know of any others, please share it with us. Also, when was the last time you saw Goody soda available?
I live in Omaha, Nebraska. Cornhusker beverage used to sell it. They quit selling it about 15 years ago. People used to like it because the bottles would fit in old pop machines. I think it also came in grape, orange and lemon-lime.
I love Goody Pop!! Oh, so many flavors! Let’s see how many I can remember….Birch Beer, Root Beer, Grape, Orange, Strawberry, Raspberry, Cream Soda, their version of 7Up/Bubble Up (can’t remember that ones name, the bottle was green with yellow lettering), Black Cherry, Peach, Vanilla, Black Licorice (my moms fave), Lemon/Lime, GAGH! I know there’s more!! We even had a bottle of Birch Beer and a bottle of Peach here in the house. But I can’t remember if they got tossed last year at this time. I’ve got the case that I bought, but I could take it back with the empties and get so much off when I re-filled it. I know I’ve got some empties around, unless the kids busted them. They mostly came in the clear bottles with colored lids. I used to get ours at a liquor store downtown. I’m going to have to check in and see if maybe they don’t have a few bottles in the back that I can buy :: waggles eyebrows :: When I remember more flavors I’ll post ‘em. I’ll ask my brothers and sisters what flavors they can think of!
Peace!
Okie, I just checked, I’ve got three clear bottles unbroken. I found a green one that was busted but it had ‘Pep’ on it. That’s not the one I was thinking off, the green bottle I was thinking of had a hilbiliy on it with a corn cob pipe, if I remember right. Oh, well. I’ll keep looking.
Peace!
Good memory, the one you couldn’t remember was Sparkle-up! There was also a Cola and Diet cola (the diet cola came in clear bottles marked with “mission” in a blue bow tie design) My Great great grandfather came over from Germany to be the “brewmaster” for Willow Springs Brewery and most recently, my grandfather bottled Goody Soda at Cornhusker Beverage Mart (corporate name Willow Springs Bottling) at 8510 K Street in Omaha, Nebraska. We stopped bottling about 12 years ago after my Grandfather (George Riedmann) retired. Also missing from your list is Orange Pineapple, Cherry Cola, Grapefruit soda (came in the green “Quicky” bottles with yellow writing). I remember that a case of 24 would sell for $3.99 plus a $4.00 deposit on the bottles. Every year at the beginning of summer we still have people coming in and calling looking for Goody pop! We all miss goody pop, but I’m proud to be 5th generation in the business!
Growing up in a small town in Southern Illinois (Gillespie) almost every soda pop machine stocked GOODY soda. My favorite soda of all time was GOODY Black Cherry soda, nothing better on a hot summer day. I would love to purchase the Black Cherry syrup recipe.