Drinking Foxton Fizz spiders was the a nostalgic way to celebrate the company's 100th birthday.
Drinking Foxton Fizz spiders was the a nostalgic way to celebrate the company's 100th birthday.
Foxton Fizz celebrated its 100th birthday on the weekend with locals packing out the Milky Whey Cafe in Foxton to indulge in a Spider, some delicious food and of course the colourful Tropic Fizz.
Both young and old came along. It was a time of nostalgia as memories flowed for many who had fond memories of Foxton summers refreshed by Fizz.
One Foxton resident even pulled up her pant leg to reveal a Foxton Fizz tattoo she had got in memory of summers at her Foxton Beach bach.
KAREN Graves' ultimate commitment to the nostalgic memory of bach holidays at Foxton beach sipping on the Fizz.
The official birthday was celebrated by cutting of a ribbon and blowing out of candles, both given to Murray Perreau, the former owner of Foxton Fizz.
Mr Perreau gave his whole working life to the company and was the last in his family to own Foxton Fizz.
In his speech he reminisced about the 70 years his family spent on the business.
He said they had their own water bore at the factory to get water straight from the ground to try and stay off town supply because of Foxton's long standing water clarity problems.
He said when the factory went semi-automatic, they changed to the town supply which was "supposedly treated" and yet it was only after the water had travelled through six water filters that it was at a "reasonable quality" for the Fizz bottling.
He told of one time that he dropped a glass bottle and it bounced off the ground and lodged into his eye, resulting in reconstructive surgery.
Mr Perreau said he met his wife though the business, the daughter of an employee.
He also spoke about his fondness for the more environmentally friendly approach of reusable glass bottles and touched on a time where he contract-bottled for a brand called "Ganja" and how a suspicious looking oil would separate and float at the top of the bottle.
Mr Perreau said it was amazing how widespread Foxton Fizz had become.
"I see the signs and labels all over now, even at the airport."
Local Foxton man Robin Hapi (New Zealand Order of Merit recipient) started his working life at Foxton Fizz at age the of 12.
MURRAY Perreau (left), the former owner of Foxton Fizz, and Robin Hapi, his former employee.
He was at the birthday celebrations sipping on the Fizz brand he bottled and delivered as a child.
"I'd go do a milk run in the morning, go to school then run to the factory to work on the bottling machine, the washer and deliveries.
"They were good to me and paid me well," he said.
He said even after leaving town to go to boarding school, there was a job waiting for him during the holidays.
