Have you ever travelled to southern climes and meandered through the stalls at the local markets, savouring the scent of sun-ripened fruit? Did you linger over the breakfast buffet with its medley of fruits: papaya, guava, passion fruit and mango? Didn’t you want to pack a little of that tropical flavour in your luggage and bring it home?

In the 1980s, North Americans, especially Americans from northern states and Canadians facing harsh winters, began travelling a good deal more. They went to Europe, of course, but especially to Mexico and the Caribbean islands. And soon enough, Lassonde’s consumer service department was inundated with suggestions.

The R&D team went to work conducting various trials in an effort to recreate the spirit of the South. To date, only one other producer had tapped into this juice and fruit drink-blend market segment. It was the perfect time to introduce consumers to a new product in the Oasis line up.

Tropical Passion juice in a single-serve format was launched in 1986. An instant success, it’s still going strong 30 years on. With its bright and sunny packaging, it boasts just the right blend of juices: apple, orange, pineapple, peach, passion fruit, kiwi, mango and guava. This refreshing idea was the first of several new flavours introduced in the decades to follow.

Next column: A turning point…