KELLY HODEL / STUFF / Waikato Times
Richard Revel, director of Thearoha Mineral Water, will sample lemon and Tealoha organic sparkling soda drinks.
Move over the Kiwi Anna Icon L & P.
Lemon & Te Aroha – Flavors born from another town in Waikato could soon become world-famous in New Zealand.
After more than 50 years, Thearoha has reopened its own mineral drink, but this time it’s an L & T with a clean style and glass packaging.
After four years of planning and preparation, Thearoha Mineral Water began remanufacturing L & T beverages earlier this year.
For many, the classic lemon and paeloa (L & P) was the carbonated king of Kiwiana culture, but 19 years ago in 1888, the L & T beverage was first launched with its own smooth lemon flavor.
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In the early 1900s, it peaked both locally and nationally.
Until the 1970s, L & T drinks were a hit in town before the more famous eastern Waikato cousin from Paeroa was in the limelight.
The company’s board of directors, Richard Revel, is behind the initiative to reintroduce drinks.It comes after a little tweaking of a drink called a carbonated milk drink mo2 In 2010, his dairy barn required six years of development.
Rebel has always been interested in drinks and said that the activation of L & T drinks was born after the purchase of land with spring water was sought and nostalgia was taken over.
KELLY HODEL / STUFF
Richard Revel has developed a prototype of a recreated lemon and te aloha organic sparkling soda drink. Drinks were originally made in town until the 1970s.
“When we were young, we drank L & T products … it’s a very community product because everyone over my age remembers it,” Rebel said.
“The latest version tastes like a very natural product … it’s a very smooth and thirsty drink, we just add a natural product … it’s overly sweet. It has a great flavor without it.
“Because that is the essence of the product, we want to bring it back to town.”
Thearoha Mineral Springs has long been a well-known place among locals and tourists to the area, taking off with the idea of bottling carbonated water.
Extravagant claims have been made about the power of water to cure stomach, bowel, bladder disorders, nasal problems and gout illnesses.
Thearoha has the only natural carbonated geyser in the world, and people have traveled thousands to take advantage of their health benefits, said Thearoha and Janice Purcell, president of the district museum.
“Then we did an analysis of both fountains, and some bright sparks decided they could bottle it and sell it.”
Ashtanner, the elder of the Matamata Piako District Council, who lived in Thearoha for a lifetime, remembers that this drink was especially popular among the younger generation at the time.
“I remember it very lovingly as a kid who has it [L&T].. Previously I could buy it at the heated pool in Thearoha Domain … I could buy it at the skating rink, “says Tanner.
“It’s always been like the icon of Thearoha … it’s a bit like the L & P brand.
“It’s really great that Richard actually went out and worked to bring it back. I think it’s great.”
The entry of competitors such as Lemon & Paeroa (L & P) and Coca-Cola and the issue of the amount of spring water collected led to the commercial decision to close Lemon & TeAroha.
Amatil NZ
Lemon & Tealoha [L&T] A drink comparable to the drink of its former partner, the infamous L & P (lemon and paeloa).
Now, with the resurgence of beverages, Rebel and the company have continued to evolve the new L & T brand from the “craft water” stage to a full-fledged product manufactured in-house.
“Our products are natural, made from carbonated water, and have no chemicals added, so they are truly organic water and the essence of the word,” he said.
“Because it is a genuine product, I think it has been well received.”
In the next two weeks, Level was considering distributing samples in the Tearloha domain, but preferably moving to a production environment and distributing across towns.
Tanner was looking forward to the drink reestablishing its position both inside and outside the town.
“It’s a little identity of Tealoha. Of course, some of the people who have been in Tealoha for a long time, like me, drink as children and remember it nostalgic … I’ve tried this new one and it tastes good … maybe it goes well with gin. “