7up- 1953-1986 Canada

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Photon440

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Here's one that I haven't seen you post yet. It's from 1977, commemorating when 7-UP outsold Coke and Pepsi in the Vancouver market. This was labelled as a free sample, using the non-refillable 170 ml bottles that were intended for cruise ships and airlines, not individual sales to the public.
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Canadacan

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Hey thanks for posting that bottle!..I totally forgot about that one, a seller on Craigslist had a few a while back and I forgot to contact to see if I could grab one. I also have a 1977 170ml , I think your label may be a bit earlier style?..is it marked in mls only?....if so then mine would be the earlier one as it has oz/mls. I also have this 300ml foam wrapped bottle from 1983...they also came in 500ml and the tiny 170ml.....these bottles were the last of the glass package and ran up to about 1993-94 I think.

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Photon440

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Hi Canadacan, mine is 1977 for sure, I was working at the plant when it was bottled. The reason that the label is different from your sample is because yours was the regular commercial label whereas mine was the 'FREE SAMPLE' version. It didn't even have any French language on it and no ounces. I also have the 22 page May/June 1977 edition of the '7up LEADER' magazine which featured an article on how Gray Beverage had managed to keep 7up as the #1 selling soft drink in Vancouver for four years in a row, something not seen in other cities. The article about 'Vancouver, 7up City' and the Gray Beverage enterprise took up a full ten pages.
7up Leader magazine 1977 May June.jpg

By the way, I remember the summer of 1977 as being a busy time in the sales offices due to the date. July 7, 1977 (7/7/77) was designated as the official 7up day for that year.
 
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Canadacan

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That is the coolest thing ever!...I love that magazine cover with Abe on it!....if your ever looking for a good home for it please consider me ! :)...I'm not too far from you I think ;) I like how the lettering colors on the magazine match the bottle carton I posted.
You posting that has really made my day! really cool that that label on the 170ml was exclusive to BC only...and that date 7/7/77 is a dandy! I have done some collecting of stuff from Blackwood's beverages ..mostly 7up cans though...so do you know...were Blackwood's and Gray beverages completely separate enterprises?...or were Abe and Gerry partners?
 

Photon440

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To be honest Canadacan...I've never heard of Blackwood's before so can't help with that. Gray Beverage operated in the West with bottling plants in Victoria, Vancouver (later moved to Delta) Kamloops and Edmonton. Might have had others, I wasn't there after early 1978.

PM me your email, I'll scan that magazine and send it over to you. :)
 

Canadacan

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Blackwoods's goes back a long long time in Winnipeg...Gerry, Abe's younger brother was owner of that company...I believe their father was also in the bottling industrie, I just don't know the business end of things if they were partnered....I suspect the seed money to start Gray beverage in 1948 came from Blackwood's Beverages, if I rember I read somewhere that Gerry had expanded the business west.

Here are a the Gray bottles I have, certainly worthy of being posted here because really the Gray brothers were the Mr. 7up's of the west! The 30th bottle is one of the best ACL's in North America ..in my humble opinion!,...lol

Sure would like a copy of that magazine!..I'll pm you.


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This is the crown from the 3oth bottle....I presume that would be Abe?
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And a screw cap I recently came across....This was for the new plant in Victoria. I do not have the bottle, but I have a picture of it.
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Canadacan

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And while I'm posting plant bottles, this one was shared to me from another forum but cant remember the details.
I believe it was from Montreal...pretty cool bottle!

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Photon440

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You're correct, that picture on the 30th crown is Abe. I have two of those bottles, I was at the gala 30th anniversary event that Gray Beverage threw at the Hotel Vancouver and they handed them out there; everyone had a bottle sitting in front of them on the table. They were empty by the way. Too bad Gray Beverage is gone, sold out to PepsiCo. Same address - 747 Chester Road Delta BC, but it ain't Gray's any more.

Thanks for the Blackwoods info, it was new to me.
 

Canadacan

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Well this weekend turned out to great!....I picked up two more 7up NDNR bottles, one is the tall shield version of the 10oz and the other is the vertically embossed 7UP....I have know of these two variants for quite some time but had not been able to acquire them till now, I do not know of any other variations in this style of bottle at this time...the last bottle with 7UP vertically seemed hard to photograph but may be due to the fact the embossing is a little weak.

Here is the group together, The tall 10oz 'YOU LIKE IT- IT LIKES YOU' is dated 1965...note this bottle has a reduced size on the main sheild, Then the regular 10oz 'YOU LIKE IT- IT LIKES YOU' is dated 1968, Next is the 10oz version with French "Ca ravigote" dated 1969, And last is the 10oz with 7UP vertically embossed dated 1970...notice the shield is moved to the neck.

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