History
William Woodroofe and to a lesser extent, Bruce Randall, founded the business in 1878 in Norwood, South Australia. The factory was sited at a natural spring, which was the source of water for the firm's products. Woodroofe's innovative products and aggressive marketing saw them operate successfully as a regional independent soft drink producer for over a century. The most popular flavour was, and continues to be, lemonade.
In the 1970s, the growth of national producers and increasing popularity of international brands (particularly Coca Cola) resulted in Woodroofe facing increasing challenges to its market position. The business was family owned until it was acquired by Adelaide businessmen Michael Harbison and Tim Hartley. They reinvigorated the business, including introducing new flavours, such as fruit flavoured mineral water. Briefly, they bottled RC Cola under license.
In 1983, they floated the business as a public company on the Adelaide Stock Exchange. Subsequently, the South Australian Brewing Company purchased the soft drink manufacturing activities and they onsold the business to Cadbury Schweppes, who closed the historic Norwood factory and relocated production to their facility at nearby Payneham.
Today, Woodroofe soft drinks continue to be marketed as a regional brand in South Australia.
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