Pour one out for the Godfather of Detroit Techno

Posted on by farlane
Juan Was Here by Faygo Beverages

Faygo honors the legacy of Detroit musical pioneer, Juan Atkins. The movement you created will live forever. #JuanAtkins

Today is the 119th birthday of Faygo Pop, but this year I wanted to share their tribute to Juan Atkins who passed away over the weekend. Atkins and collaborators Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson were known as the Belleville Three. As this Michigan Public obituary relates, Atkins & the Belleville Three laid the foundations for Detroit techno:

Atkins’ vision for electronic futurism went on to become a global phenomenon.

“It was music born out of technology basically, and produced from all electronic instruments and also computers and sequencers and drum computers and everything that developed out of the technological movement,” Atkins told Michigan Public in an interview in 2015.

Atkins was inspired by futurism and a society that was transitioning from an industrial world to an age of technological growth. He said he believed music should reflect that transformation and even help prepare people for the future.

Growing up in and around Detroit, he saw technology reshaping the auto industry. At the same time, he embraced synthesizers, drum machines, and electronic sounds to imagine what this new world might sound like. Techno music is now especially popular in many parts of Europe, and is celebrated each Memorial Day weekend at Movement Electronic Music Festival (formerly known as Detroit Electronic Music Festival).

“When it comes to music, specifically electronic music, the atmosphere is unmatchable anywhere else. I mean, Detroit is like no other place in terms of creativity,” Atkins said in 2015.

Wishing the family, friends & fans of this Motor City legend peace.

Happy Birthday Faygo … and happy birthday POP!

Posted on by farlane
That's Why We Love Faygo by David Marvin

That’s Why We Love Faygo by David Marvin

Most of us know that Faygo is a Detroit original, but did you know that Faygo is also the reason we call soda “pop” in Michigan??

Way back in 1907 Russian immigrant brothers and bakers, Ben and Perry Feigenson started creating soft drinks based on their frosting flavors. They bottled their soda – which they called “pop” because of the sound it made when the lid was removed – in fruit punch, strawberry and grape flavors at a factory on Pingree Street & sold it from their horse-drawn wagon the day after it was made! Faygo made a Faygo Kneecap last year for the Lions playoff run so you know they have kept the magic alive!

David took the photos about a decade ago. You can see his latest on his Flickr and read about the pics on David’s blog.

More about Faygo’s founding Fivenson brothers, their first delivery truck & the history of Faygo pop on Michigan in Pictures! & you can also head over to Faygo for their history & current offerings.

That's why we love Faygo by David Marvin
That’s why we love Faygo by David Marvin
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Faygo founding Feigenson brothers with their first truck

Posted on by farlane

Founders of Feigenson Bros. Bottling Works Faygo

Founders of Feigenson Bros. Bottling Works

Tomorrow (November 4th) is the 107th birthday of Detroit-based Faygo. The Encyclopedia Of Detroit entry for Faygo Pop at the Detroit Historical Society says:

In 1907, Russian immigrant brothers and bakers, Ben and Perry Feigenson, began playing around with the idea of creating soft drinks based on their frosting flavors. They bottled their soda – which they called “pop” because of the sound it made when the lid was removed – in fruit punch, strawberry and grape flavors at a factory on Pingree Street. They sold their soda pop from their horse-drawn wagon the day after it was made.

Soon, the brothers developed the Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works, but they changed the name to Faygo in 1921 because “Feigenson” was too long to fit on the labels. They moved their growing bottle works to Gratiot Avenue in 1935, which is still used today to create Faygo pop.

The brothers ran Faygo until the mid-1940s, when they gave the company to their sons. Faygo was sold only in Detroit and Michigan until the late 1950s because it had a limited shelf life. At that time, company-hired chemists determined that impurities in the water prevented the pop from staying carbonated. The company then developed a water filtering system that stretched the shelf life to more than a year.

Faygo became popular outside of Michigan in the late 1960s when the company began advertising during televised Detroit Tigers games. Today, Faygo, which comes in over 30 flavors, is sold in many states east of the Mississippi River.

In 1987, the Feigenson family sold the Faygo company to National Beverage Company which is based in Florida. National Beverage, which also owns Shasta, kept the Detroit bottling works and the company’s employees. Many have worked for Faygo for over 30 years.

Today, the most popular Faygo flavor remains one of the earliest the Feigenson brothers developed: Redpop.

Click through for a couple fun items in their collection and also check out Faygo’s history page for a nice timeline.