That One Time in Michigan: When immigrant brothers turned frosting recipes into Faygo

Where did Michigan’s most iconic pop get its start? Take a trip down memory lane to learn more about Faygo—and don’t be surprised if you’re thirsty by the end!

Michigan has its fair share of unwritten rules, but there’s one we’ll never falter on: The correct word for those fizzy, bubbly, sweet beverages is “pop.” We don’t want to hear you ask for a soda or, more confusingly, label every pop variety “Coke.” Pop is top, no matter what.

Of course, Michiganders don’t sing the praises of just any pop. Faygo is undoubtedly the most famous beverage from the Great Lakes State, and many consider it the ultimate pop variety. Redpop, root beer, Moon Mist… No matter which flavor suits your fancy, it’s pretty much impossible to grow up in the Mitten without indulging in the deliciousness of Faygo from time to time.

Faygo in itself is a delight, but the pop’s history is also worth exploring. Want to reach ultimate Faygo fan status? Dive into the history of a made-in-Michigan classic with a lesson in Faygo’s origins, then get ready to impress your friends by dropping Faygo knowledge the next time you’re sharing a sip at one of our Great Lakes beaches.

Sweet beginnings 

As with many great American creations, Faygo was born from the creativity of immigrants. In 1907, a duo of Russian-born bakers (and brothers) named Perry and Ben Feigenson sought a creative use for their inventory of sugary sweet frosting flavors. Before they arrived in the US, the brothers had relied on three classic frosting recipes to create cakes: grape, fruit punch, and strawberry. These inspired the first three Faygo flavors.

Perry and Ben worked on creating the perfect pop at a bottling plant in Detroit, which they also lived above—an efficient way to streamline business. Once they’d transformed their mouthwatering flavors into delicious, drinkable pop, they began delivering to Detroiters with a horse-drawn wagon. We can only imagine the excitement customers felt when they heard a wagon pull up, bottles of pop in tow.

By 1912, the brothers had a state-of-the-art GMC truck to assist with deliveries from what was then called Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works—and the company continued to expand. Employees came aboard, profits soared, and the Feigensons were even able to move out of their quarters above the bottling plant.

Quenching thirst during the Prohibition years

By the early 1920s, Faygo was starting to be much more reminiscent of what we know it as today. Perry and Ben shortened the company name to—you guessed it—Faygo, a move that made their product much easier to recall when it came time for customers to place orders.

As Prohibition took hold, pop became a mainstay for Detroiters who couldn’t get their hands on alcohol (or, should we say, couldn’t legally get their hands on alcohol). The flavor list grew: Rock and Rye, vanilla, and more entered the rotation.

By 1935, the Feigensons had purchased a new bottling plant on Gratiot in downtown Detroit. This facility is still in use today.

“Faygo remembers”

As the decades passed, Faygo continued to delight Michiganders of all ages. If you grew up in our state during the 50s, 60s, or 70s, you likely encountered at least one or two of the company’s most well-known advertising campaigns.

Some might remember Faygo ads during Detroit Tigers broadcasts or renditions of Faygo’s nostalgic “Boat Song,” while others will fondly recall the “Faygo Kid”—an animated cowboy who, unsurprisingly, was a big fan of Faygo.

Faygo’s strawberry flavor became the iconic Redpop in the 60s, around the same time canned pop and Diet Faygo made their debut. By this time, Perry and Ben’s descendants had taken over company operations, but their original passion remained, along with the enduring sweetness of their first frosting flavors-turned-pop.

Faygo is for everyone

If you’re not a Michigander, you might not have a clue what Faygo is—or, at the very least, you might not have learned about it until the end of the 1960s. Before this period, Faygo only distributed its beverages throughout Michigan because of the product’s relatively short shelf life.

Luckily for the rest of the world, though, manufacturing advances of the ‘60s allowed the company to “go international” by the end of the decade.

Today, Faygo is a household name in most Michigan residences. The Faygo “menu” has expanded to include more than 50 options, including popular selections like Jolly Green Apple, Cherry Cola, an entire “Ohana” line of tropically inspired drinks, and orange (a childhood favorite for many of us).

So the next time you reach for a Redpop on a hot summer day or pour some Faygo root beer for a foamy float, take a moment to thank a pair of inventive immigrant brothers from Russia for giving us a timeless Michigan treat.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: These are the top 5 Faygo flavors, according to Michiganders