Made In Chicago: 'Chicago Draft-Style' Sodas
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Move over Coke and Pepsi, there's a new soda in town.
"I grew up on the North Side, stocking shelves on Belmont and Leavitt," said Bill Daker, Founder & Owner, Chicago Draft Style. "That's when I got my first taste of the beverage industry."
Daker started Des Plaines based, Cool Mountain Beverages 20 years ago, WBBM's Lisa Fielding reports.
"By creating Cool Mountain Beverages, I was traveling the country and as I was going through these cities," Daker said. "I found little brands which were regional brands that were super successful in their backyards. I soon realized Chicago didn't have its own brand."
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Initially Daker started selling the craft soda in bulk.
"In the kitchen we went, came up with a taste. We initially started in kegs producing to all the major universities because they are dry campuses selling it for Oktoberfests, graduation parties, etc. and people kept asking us where they could buy it."
Soon enough Chicago Draft Style Root Beer was bottled in Bridgeport and made its way to store shelves.
"We started producing the Root Beer initially. After we started producing the Root Beer, we started producing more and we have the select six that we have now."
The select six, include, Root Beer, Black Cherry, Cream Soda, Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer and Orange Cream.
"We went through a lot of formulations to come up with the perfect taste," Daker said. "We ended up doing a blend of creamy Root Beer with a Winter green root beer. I think that hit it because when you drink it, you get this really creamy taste with a winter green finish and that really capitalizes the taste."
Daker said Potash Markets was the first to sell his brand in Chicago. Now you can find the hometown soda all over the city.
"We are the featured beverage on the Willis Tower Skydeck and in five of their gift shops. We are in Godfrey, we are in the Drake, the Hilton. The hotels have really embraced the concept as well," Daker said.
Its logo, he said, truly represents Chicago.
"Our label features the Willis Tower encircled by two spotlights which we call the north and the south," Daker said. "Chicago has always been kind of divided by the north and south. We wanted something that imbibed the idea of Chicago and that people would recognize and we felt why not the tallest building as the centerpiece of that."
Chicago Draft Style was offered at this year's Hot Dog Fest and is often paired with Chicago foods.
Daker hopes to be the region's new iconic brand.
"We sold 11,000 bottles at the hot dog fest in three days. We just met with Pizzeria Uno. The whole idea is imbibing the Chicago experience. When you're eating a Chicago style hot dog and you're drinking a product that says Chicago and it's actually 'Made in Chicago,' it reinforces the whole concept and lends to the whole experience."
A 24-pack of 12-ounce bottles of Chicago Draft Style root beer costs $28. Chicago Draft Style flavors also come in half- and quarter-barrels.
