I must admit, I don't remember Dextora. Then again, I'd only be a wee nipper when it was on the go - this advert dating from 1963.
It seems like it was competing with Lucozade, as a health drink. Being orange flavoured though, means it would taste nicer than it's more well known rival!
Pola-Cola I do remember. Just as Peter Kay jokes about Rola Cola, us kids sussed it was quite a substandard alternative to the real thing! I'm sure this is the one which had a kind of flowery taste, and went flat dead quick.
Anyway, the Pola-Cola ad is dated 1968.
Both were made by Robertson Fruit Products who were based at 12 Corso Street. Later in the 70's they were taken over by Strathmore Springs.
See also 'Sun-Joy' orange juice. I seem to remember various shops around Dundee stocking glass bottles of Pola-Cola and other sugary delights with the 5p return bottles (like Barr's). I think all except the cola and orange were branded as 'Fergora', but were made by Robertsons or Strathmore.
ReplyDeleteJust as a wee side note, the Bridge Chipper had old faded adverts (probably dating from the 60s!) in their window for Pola-Cola and Sun-Joy until late last year when the place got a bit of a facelift.
I remember the lemonade man coming around about once a week. My mum and dad got cream soda, lemonade, pola-cola and fizzy orange.
ReplyDeletePola Cola advert painted on the wall in Maitland Street I think.
ReplyDeleteYes it was definitely on a wall in Maitland Street. My Auntie May lived directly opposite it and as a teeny child I would stand with my nose pressed against her window, transfixed by the Pola Cola Polobear.
ReplyDeleteI have pics.
The Robertsons 'lemonade factory' was at the top of Taits Lane/Corso Street. The Pola Cola was good pop! When you think of the mass marketing might of coke and pepsi, it done well as a Dundee best seller. Just the spirit that put us on the map!! Irn Bru was another best seller and oddly is popular in Greece where they have a national brand which tastes the same!
ReplyDeleteI worked in Robertsons factory in Corso Street in 1969. All you can drink free but you soon got fed up of it! Best part of the job was bottling (and drinking) cider on a hand opertaed machine. Pola Cola in that bottle shape was being withdrawn and when the empties came back we had to smash them in a bin then take them down to the coup on the back of a lorry.
ReplyDeletemy grandad Bert Butchart used to work on the lorries at Robertsons and Stratmore Springs, it was great going to visit him, my brother,sister and myself would get all the juice we could drink and he would give us loads o empties to take back to the ice cream van so we could get sweets off the deposit from the bottles
ReplyDeleteThe Pola Cola essence was manufactured by Val Kosto, from premises in City Road Dundee. He also ran a popular newsagents in High Street Lochee.
ReplyDelete