Jean-Claude Beton

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Orangina bottles, which Beton introduced in 1951.

Jean-Claude Beton (January 14, 1925 – December 2, 2013) was an Algerian-born French businessman,

agricultural engineer and entrepreneur. Beton was the founder of the French soft drink maker, Orangina. He is credited with transforming Orangina from a little known citrus soda first manufactured by his father, Léon Beton, into a major global brand.[1][2][3] Beton launched Orangina's iconic, signature 8-ounce bottle in 1951, which became a symbol of the brand.[1][4] The bottle is shaped like an orange, with a glass texture designed to mimic the fruit.[1] In 2009, Beton called Orangina the "champagne of soft drinks," saying that "It doesn't contain added colorants. It was and still is slightly sparkling. It had a little bulby bottle."[1]

Biography

Early life and origins of Orangina

Beton was born in Boufarik, French Algeria, on January 14, 1925.[1] In 1935, his father, Léon Beton, a Pied-Noir shopkeeper, acquired the recipe for citrus concentrate, then called Naranjina (that would become Orangina), from its inventor, a Spanish pharmacist named Dr. Trigo.[1][2] The original recipe contained a mix of citrus juices and sugar.[3] Léon Beton tinkered with Trigo's formula, adding sparkling water and new essential flavoring oils.[3] Léon also renamed the new drink from Naranjina to Orangina.[3] The outbreak of World War II largely sidelined Léon Beton's attempts to market his drink in Europe.[2]

Orangina

Léon's son, Jean-Claude Beton, took over the company from his father in 1947.

Mitidja Plain.[3]

Orangina quickly became a common beverage throughout

fridges."[1] Besides the obvious similarities to an orange, Beton also described the bottle as having "a waist like a wasp and the bottom of a princess."[1] He also refused to change Orangina's formula, which includes citrus pulp, despite appeals from shop owners.[1][3] Beton later used television commercials to instruct consumers to shake the bottle before drinking.[1]

The early Orangina logo was designed to include an

parasol.[3] He utilized an orange color design against a blue background, which called to mind the Mediterranean Sea, to comply with the French standards, while still depicting parts of the citrus fruit.[3][4] Villemot's and Beton's design quickly became associated with post-war French success.[3] The image proved successful and Orangina sold 50 million bottles in 1957 alone.[3]

Beton moved his family's Orangina factory from

Porte Maillot métro station in Paris to mark the drink's fiftieth anniversary.[1]

Later life

Jean-Claude Beton sold Orangina to Pernod Ricard in 1984, with Thierry Jacquillat for Pernod Ricard being a prominent character in regards to the purchase happening.[2] He remained chairman of Orangina until his retirement in 1989.[3] The brand went through a series of different owners throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 1997, The Coca-Cola Company offered 5 billion francs for Orangina, but the acquisition was nixed by the French government, which cited the potential for unfair competition within the country's beverage market.[2] A second attempt by Coca-Cola to purchase Orangina in 1998 also failed.[2] Orangina, known officially as Orangina Schweppes, is now owned a division of Suntory, as of 2014.[1]

Orangina was not produced again in Algeria until 2003, when a new factory was opened by a franchise.[3] Beton returned to Algeria for the first time since 1967 to attend the opening.[3] He also visited the site of his original factory in Boufarik.[3]

Beton pursued other interests after the 1984 sale of Orangina, including olive oil and wine.[2] He purchased several olive groves, as well as the Château Grand Ormeaux winery in Bordeaux during the 1980s.[1][3]

Jean-Claude Beton died in Marseille on December 2, 2013, at the age of 88.[1] His death was disclosed by the Mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin.[1] He was survived by his wife, Madelaine, and their two children, Eric and Françoise.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Yardley, William (December 6, 2013). "Jean-Claude Beton, Who Sent Orangina Around the World, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Founder of iconic French soda Orangina dies". France 24. December 4, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Strauss, Delphine (December 20, 2013). "Jean-Claude Beton, soft drinks executive, 1925–2013". Financial Times. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Remembering Jean-Claude Beton, Father of the Orangina Bottle". Fast Company. December 11, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
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