This Midwestern Soda Company Still Uses An 18th-Century Bottling Tradition

In the Midwest, soda — regionally called pop — is a particularly cherished beverage category. Whether through the culture of heavy soda fountain drinks or the abundance of beloved regional brands, soft drink fondness is manifested in various ways. Wisconsin's Twig's Beverage company upholds such soda traditions by using a centuries-old bottling process.

The family-owned business still employs deposit returns for its glass bottles. The practice traces back to the 18th century. Prior to the advent of disposable plastic, beverage companies would reuse glass containers, enticing customers to return the bottle by charging an initial glass deposit. In the 1970s, the rise of mass-produced plastic nearly eliminated the practice, save for some German breweries and among certain soda brands in the U.S., including Twig's Beverage.

The company — based in the small town of Shawano, Wisconsin — continues to honor bottle returns across its home county. Twig's Beverage bottles Sun Drop, with which it maintains a decades-old packaging license, as well as nearly 20 of its own soda flavors. Customers or local businesses can buy a 24-bottle case with a $20 deposit on top, and they get the deposit back when they return the case of empty bottles. The company sanitizes and places the containers back on the soda line, with some in circulation for over 50 years. Soda in a glass already exudes nostalgia, but Twig's Beverage's returnable bottle scheme escalates old-school packaging to another level.

While you should probably stop refilling plastic water bottles, reusing glass ones comes with several advantages. For Shawano residents, the routine is treasured. Returning packaging to the Twig's Beverage brand is a decades-old form of community participation, conducted to support the local business. Combined with the fact the company continues to bottle Sun Drop with real sugar, the beverage company draws soft drink fans from elsewhere, too. "Can't wait till I get to go this weekend and exchange my bottles," says a Reddit user regarding Twig's Beverage. The brand even operates a museum and gift shop, where it's possible to see soda production and buy a returnable bottle case.

In addition to old-timey charm, such bottle deposit schemes come with practical benefits. An efficient form of recycling, governments (rather than companies) have reignited package return incentives to minimize pollution. Variations of such a system are already in place in 10 U.S. states, as well as several European countries. However, not all entail, specifically, the reuse of glass bottles. Nevertheless, while Coca-Cola changed from glass to plastic to save costs, this Wisconsin manufacturer has stuck to a trend that went out of fashion — and has resurged once more.