History
A-Treat was formally established in 1918 by Joseph C. and John L. ("Jack") Egizio. Their father, Gioacchino Egizio, started a beverage business in the family home in the 600 block of Front Street in Allentown, and later built a small manufacturing facility behind the home. Their mother, Vincenza Munjone, also came from a family involved in the beverage business in Allentown. In 1932, the Egizio brothers moved the business to Union Boulevard in East Allentown, where it remains to this day. Joseph C. Egizio served as the board chairman of A-Treat Bottling Co. until retiring in 1989. He died in 2000, at the age of 96. John L. Egizio, who had started working at the company at the age of 13 delivering sodas on his bicycle, served as vice president and co-owner until his death in 1990.
In 1991, the company was the subject of regional news coverage when a smear campaign was launched against A-Treat as it tried to sell its sodas in New York City. The campaign, which targeted African Americans, claimed certain brands of carbonated beverages - including those produced by A-Treat - were actually manufactured by the Ku Klux Klan and contained stimulants that would "sterilize the black man". Investigations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and New York City's Department of Health found the claims to be unsubstantiated and untrue. (See also: Tropical Fantasy)
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