In 1945, the U.S. Army ordered 500,000 pounds of powdered orange juice from the Florida Foods Corporation. However, the war ended before the product could ship, so in 1946, the Vacuum Foods Corporation (formerly Florida Foods) pivoted to domestic sales and shipped out the first frozen concentrated orange juice product in the United States — Minute Maid. The product made orange juice available year-round all over the country for the first time. The name Minute Maid itself was created by a Boston-based marketing firm to help sell the convenience factor of the new item. In 1948, Vacuum Foods launched a national radio campaign featuring Bing Crosby to further promote the product, and in 1949, the company changed its name once more, this time to the Minute Maid Corporation. In 1960, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Minute Maid, and in 1973, ready-to-drink Minute Maid orange juice hit store shelves for the first time. In the 1980s, the Minute Maid line was expanded to include lemonade and fruit punch as well as the first-ever calcium-fortified orange juice, Minute Maid Orange Juice with Calcium. In 2002, the Houston Astros’ ballpark was renamed Minute Maid Park (although the name has since been changed). In the 2010s, the Minute Maid line continued to expand with additions such as Tropical Blend and Berry Blend. Minute Maid celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2020, and today, it remains a popular beverage brand.
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