Grapette International

What Grapette International does

Grapette International, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned flavor manufacturer founded in 1939 in Camden, Arkansas and currently headquartered in Malvern, Arkansas. The company produces premium flavor concentrates, post-mix syrups, and powder blends for food and beverage applications, serving processors, packers, distributors, and retailers. Its core product lines span carbonated soft drink concentrates, bag-in-box fountain syrups, and powdered drink mixes (including isotonic sports drinks and energy blends), plus a portfolio of New Orleans heritage sub-brands including Zodiac frozen beverage syrups and flavor shots, Sno-ball concentrates, Tasty syrups, Old Comiskey bar mixes, and Gambelini coffee and tea syrups. The company also offers custom flavor and color matching, custom dry blending, contract packaging in formats from sticks to drums, laboratory analytical testing and quality assurance, and warehousing, multi-pack assembly, and shipping services. Its modern, climate-controlled, allergen-free Malvern facility is SQF (GFSI) certified, FDA registered, and Kosher and Halal certified.

The business operates on a B2B contract manufacturing and custom development model combined with selective consumer-brand distribution. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of flavor products and through professional services for custom development, blending, packaging, and lab work, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct enterprise sales to commercial customers and an exclusive retail relationship with Walmart for the legacy Grapette and Orangette sodas and for Sam's Choice signature brand soft drinks using Grapette flavor profiles. Marketing is primarily conducted through the company website (grapette.com), with stated worldwide reach spanning Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Pacific Rim countries.

The company has remained under continuous family control since 1939, currently led by Chairman Brooks T. Rice, who succeeded R. Paul May in 1972. There is no institutional investment, venture capital, or public funding in the business. Grapette International owns and has trade-secret-protected the original Grapette Company formulas, and in 2000 re-acquired the Grapette and Orangette trademarks that had become separated from the formulas through a series of 1970s acquisitions by rival Nu-Grape's manufacturer, the Monarch Company.

Name

Grapette International

Legal name

Grapette International, Inc.

Website

https://grapette.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grapette International is a privately held, family-owned flavor manufacturer founded in 1939, producing flavor concentrates, syrups, and powder blends for food and beverage processors, packers, distributors, and retailers, with legacy Grapette and Orangette sodas sold exclusively at Walmart.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flavor and Beverage Ingredient Manufacturing

NAICS

Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Soft Drink & Carbonated Beverage Syrups (AFAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Beverage flavor concentrates
• Custom flavor development
• Post-mix syrups
• Powdered drink mixes
• Contract packaging services

Headquarters

HQ city

Malvern

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Flavor Products (Concentrates, Syrups, Powders): Sale of flavor concentrates, syrups, and powder blends to food and beverage processors, packers, distributors, and retailers for various commercial applications
2. Custom Development and Contract Packaging Services: Custom flavor and formula development, custom blending, packaging services, lab testing, and quality assurance for customers requiring bespoke formulations
3. Warehousing and Fulfillment Services: Order fulfillment, warehousing, and shipping services including multi-pack and kit assembly, cartoning, labeling, palletizing, and shrink wrapping

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Grapette International manufactures premium flavor concentrates, post-mix syrups, and powder blends for food and beverage processors, packers, distributors, and retailers. The company also offers custom flavor development, custom blending and contract packaging, laboratory testing, and warehousing/fulfillment services from its SQF-certified, FDA-registered, Kosher and Halal certified facility in Malvern, Arkansas. Its Grapette and Orangette legacy soft drinks are sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide.

Product overview

Grapette International is a full-service flavor manufacturer offering a portfolio of three core product lines: flavor concentrates, post-mix syrups, and powder blends. These core products serve food and beverage processors, packers, distributors, and retailers. The company also distributes New Orleans Fruit Flavor sub-brands including Zodiac™ frozen beverage syrups and flavor shots, Sno-ball™ syrups and concentrates, Tasty™ syrups, Old Comiskey™ bar mixes, and Gambelini™ coffee and tea syrups. Legacy consumer brands Grapette (grape soda) and Orangette (orange soda) are sold exclusively at Walmart. Beyond products, Grapette offers flavor and formula development, custom blending, contract packaging, lab testing, and order fulfillment services. The company operates an allergen-free, climate-controlled facility with SQF and FDA registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zodiac™ Syrups: Premium frozen beverage syrups formulated for frozen cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, including Deluxe flavors with 10% real fruit juice and Creme syrups.
• Zodiac™ Flavor Shots
• Sno-ball™ Concentrates
• Tasty™ Syrups
• Old Comiskey™ Bar Mixes
• Gambelini™ Flavored Syrups
• Thirst Down® Isotonic Sport Drinks
• Elixir Mixer® Bar Line

Products and services

• Flavor Concentrates Franchise-quality flavor concentrates used in carbonated soft drinks, craft sodas, energy drinks, non-carbonated beverages, frozen beverages, flavored water, seltzers, and functional beverages such as Hemp/CBD drinks. Sold to food and beverage processors, packers, distributors, and retailers.
• Post-Mix Syrups Bag-in-box (BIB) post-mix syrups designed to maximize profits for soda fountain, bar gun, soft serve, and frozen drink machines, available in multiple sizes from 1.5 to 5 gallons in bottles, jugs, and BIB formats.
• Powder Blends Complete line of powdered drink mixes including iced tea and isotonic sports drinks and energy blends, available in stick packs, pouches, canisters, pails, drums, and totes for retail and foodservice customers.
• Zodiac Frozen Beverage Syrups Premium frozen beverage syrups formulated for frozen cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, featuring Deluxe flavors with 10% real fruit juice and Creme Syrups for creamy beverages, primarily for daiquiri bars, snow ball stands, and frozen drink operators.
• Zodiac Flavor Shots Original New Orleans frozen beverage system that enables operators to create a variety of beverages using one freezer combined with Tasty Neutral Base, designed for frozen drink equipment operators.
• Sno-ball Syrups and Concentrates Ready-to-use syrups in 18 flavors and concentrates in 52 flavors for creating snowball treats and shaved ice beverages, including Cheesecake and Daiquiri Base options for snowball stands and concession operators.
• Tasty Syrups Fructose-sweetened syrups for soft drinks, iced teas, snowballs, freezies, flavored milk, ice cream sodas, milk shakes, floats, and sundaes, formulated for foodservice and beverage operators.
• Old Comiskey Bar Mixes Cocktail mixers originally developed by Old Jim Comiskey from the Mid-City district of New Orleans, including Bloody Mary Mix, Grenadine Syrup, Margarita Mix, Pina Colada Mix, Simple Syrup, Sweet & Sour Mix, and Whiskey Sour Mix.
• Gambelini Flavored Syrups Gourmet fruit and nut flavored syrups for cappuccinos, lattes, sodas, ice teas, coffees, milkshakes, and mocktails and cocktails, based on acquired New Orleans fruit flavor recipes.
• Grapette Soda Original grape-flavored soft drink launched in 1940 under the Grapette trademark. Currently sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide as a legacy consumer brand.
• Orangette Soda Orange-flavored soft drink introduced in 1947 under the Orangette trademark. Currently sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide as a legacy consumer brand.
• Flavor and Formula Development Custom flavor and color matching or development, formulation creation, and nutritional labeling assistance delivered by Grapette's in-house flavorists and chemists for food and beverage customers.
• Custom Dry Blending and Contract Packaging Custom dry blending and contract packaging services including pouch filling, can/jar filling, bag-in-box filling, and private-label product development in sticks, pouches, canisters, drums, freezer bars, and pops.
• Lab Testing and Quality Assurance Laboratory services and analytical testing ranging from basic quality control to thorough research and development, including product development and matching, performed at Grapette's SQF-certified, FDA-registered in-house laboratory.
• Order Fulfillment and Shipping Warehousing and shipping services including multi-pack and kit assembly, cartoning, labeling, palletizing, shrink wrapping, and UPS, LTL, and truckload shipping for Grapette customers.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WalmartChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2005Walmart serves as the exclusive retail distributor for Grapette and Orangette legacy sodas nationwide. Grapette International also supplies authentic Grapette flavor profiles for Walmart's Sam's Choice signature brand of soft drinks. The relationship began when Sam Walton requested Grapette in his stores in the late 1980s, leading to the Sam's Choice line using Grapette flavors until the full brand rights were reunited in 2000.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ottens Flavors: U.S.-based custom flavor developer and manufacturer serving food and beverage applications with concentrates and flavor systems. Highly comparable to Grapette's custom flavor development, blending, and contract manufacturing model in similar end-markets.
• Mission Flavors & Fragrances: Independent U.S. flavor and fragrance house focused on custom beverage, food, and nutritional flavor systems. Closely comparable as a privately held, mid-sized custom developer competing in many of the same carbonated and functional beverage categories as Grapette.
• Flavor Producers: U.S. custom flavor manufacturer producing natural and synthetic flavors, extracts, and concentrates for beverage and food customers. Directly comparable product scope and customer base to Grapette's concentrate business.
• Gold Coast Ingredients: Privately held California-based flavor and ingredient manufacturer serving beverage, dairy, and bakery customers with custom flavors and extracts. Comparable as a mid-sized U.S. flavor house competing in soft drink and functional beverage applications.

Broad incumbents

• Symrise: Global Tier-1 flavor and fragrance manufacturer with broad portfolio including beverage flavors. Operates in the same end-markets as Grapette but at vastly greater scale and with multinational customer reach.
• Givaudan: World's largest flavor and fragrance company, serving beverage and food CPG customers globally. Comparable end-market exposure but with R&D depth, IP portfolio, and multinational operations far beyond Grapette's footprint.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): Global Tier-1 ingredient and flavor supplier with beverage, food, and nutrition categories. Competes for the same enterprise beverage customers Grapette targets, but with broader portfolio and significantly larger scale.
• Sensient Technologies: Global flavors, colors, and ingredients supplier with strong beverage flavor portfolio including extracts and concentrates. Comparable beverage end-markets, larger scale, and broader international footprint than Grapette.
• Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company supplying flavors, functional ingredients, and beverage systems to CPG customers. Comparable beverage customer base and broader portfolio across beverage and functional nutrition categories.
• Döhler: German-headquartered B2B provider of natural ingredients, flavors, and beverage bases including concentrates and syrups for soft drinks and functional beverages. Comparable beverage concentrate/syrup product mix and customer type, but with significantly larger European and global operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/grapetteinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grapette-international-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grapette International