Timeline
- The 1930s. Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island.
- 1932 The Silmo Packing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, began marketing a more refined version, called "coffee syrup," under the Silmo name.
- 1938 Eclipse of Warwick began marketing a more refined version of what was being made and called it "coffee syrup." Their slogan was, "You'll smack your lips if it's Eclipse."
- The 1940s Autocrat of Lincoln began making their own mixture of corn syrup and coffee extract. The slogan that Autocrat coined was, "A swallow will tell you." Both companies, Autocrat and Eclipse, would vie for the coffee syrup business for almost fifty years afterwards.
- 1991 The rivalry between Autocrat and Eclipse ended with Autocrat buying the Eclipse brand name and secret formula. Both labels came to be produced by Autocrat and made available in stores.
- 1993 After much political debate, the Rhode Island State Legislature proclaimed coffee milk "The Official State Drink of Rhode Island" on July 29, 1993. The Providence Journal-Bulletin newspaper covered the story.
Read more about this topic: Coffee Milk