Trend Drinks

Trend Drinks was a regional Australian soft-drink manufacturer based in Gladstone in South Australia's Southern Flinders Ranges. The business dates from the 1870s and became associated with the production of traditional soft drinks, cordials, and niche beverages for regional markets. Its range included familiar Australian-style flavours such as ginger beer, sarsaparilla, portello, and cream soda, alongside more distinctive products including honey-based drinks and a carbonated chocolate-flavoured beverage. The company occupied a particular place in South Australia's beverage history. The state once supported a number of independent regional soft-drink manufacturers and bottlers, but the expansion of multinational beverage companies and nationally distributed brands reduced the commercial space available to locally owned producers. By the later stages of its South Australian operation, Trend Drinks was described as the last locally owned regional soft-drink manufacturer in the state. The business was operated through a partnership involving Amore Syrups and Damian Casey. In 2015, the Casey family sold the business to Beechworth Heritage Drinks and moved the operation from Gladstone to Corowa in New South Wales. Following that transaction, Trend Drinks no longer operated as the same Gladstone-based manufacturer, although products associated with the business continued to be produced in New South Wales under the F.C. Grubb brand. This transition makes the brand's present status distinct from its historical corporate identity: the original South Australian manufacturing operation ended, while elements of its product heritage and recipes continued within another beverage business. Trend Drinks is best understood as a regional heritage soft-drink brand rather than a mass-market competitor. Its importance lies in its longevity, its connection with South Australian manufacturing, and its preservation of traditional flavours that became less common as the Australian soft-drink market consolidated. Publicly available information does not establish a current standalone corporate structure, complete ownership history, financial performance, or a definitive current product catalogue.

Trend Drinks originated in the 1870s in Gladstone, a town in the Southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia. Its history formed part of a broader regional soft-drink tradition in the state, where independent manufacturers produced syrups, cordials, and carbonated drinks for local and nearby markets. Rather than operating as a national beverage corporation, Trend Drinks developed as a locally rooted manufacturer whose identity was closely tied to its South Australian location. The business was associated with a partnership between Amore Syrups and Damian Casey. Over time, it produced both conventional soft drinks and more specialized beverages. Its flavour range reflected older Australian soft-drink preferences, including ginger beer, sarsaparilla, portello, and cream soda. It also made cordials and less conventional products such as honey-based beverages and a carbonated drink flavoured with chocolate. This combination of familiar flavours and niche products gave the company a distinctive position within the regional market. Trend Drinks survived as the South Australian soft-drink industry became increasingly concentrated. Historically, the state had several independent regional soft-drink manufacturers, but the expansion of international brands, large-scale bottlers, and wider distribution networks placed pressure on small local producers. Trend Drinks was ultimately described as the last locally owned regional soft-drink manufacturer in South Australia. Its continued existence therefore represented the persistence of a local manufacturing model that had become uncommon in the Australian beverage sector. A major change came in 2015, when the Caseys sold the business to Beechworth Heritage Drinks. The operation was relocated from Gladstone to Corowa in New South Wales, ending Trend Drinks' long association with production in South Australia. The Trend Drinks name and product heritage did not disappear entirely: products connected with the business continued to be made in New South Wales under the F.C. Grubb brand. The transfer consequently marked both the end of the original Gladstone manufacturing operation and the continuation of selected products or traditions in a new corporate setting. Available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the company's early ownership changes, production volumes, distribution footprint, financial performance, staff, or a current standalone website. It also does not clearly establish whether Trend Drinks remains an independently marketed brand separate from F.C. Grubb. The documented historical record nevertheless identifies the business as a long-running South Australian soft-drink manufacturer and as an example of regional beverage heritage preserved after ownership and production moved interstate.

1. 2015Sale and relocation to New South Wales

   The Casey family sold Trend Drinks to Beechworth Heritage Drinks, and the operation moved from Gladstone to Corowa, New South Wales.

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2. 2015Continuation under the F.C. Grubb brand

   After the relocation, Trend-associated products continued to be produced in New South Wales under the F.C. Grubb brand.

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3. 1876Business established in Gladstone

   Trend Drinks traces its origins to the 1870s, with the business established in Gladstone, South Australia.

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A regional heritage soft-drink producer focused on traditional Australian flavours, niche beverages, and locally rooted manufacturing rather than multinational mass-market distribution.

• Ginger beerCarbonated soft drink

  A traditional spiced soft-drink flavour included in Trend Drinks' range. Ginger beer was one of the company's established regional beverage offerings and reflects the traditional Australian soft-drink styles associated with independent bottlers.

• SarsaparillaCarbonated soft drink

  A traditional dark soft-drink flavour made for the company's niche and regional market. It formed part of Trend Drinks' broader portfolio of heritage Australian flavours.

• PortelloCarbonated soft drink

  A traditional fruit-flavoured soft drink included among Trend Drinks' specialty offerings. Its presence illustrates the company's focus on flavours less commonly associated with multinational mainstream portfolios.

• Cream sodaCarbonated soft drink

  A classic sweet carbonated soft-drink flavour produced by Trend Drinks alongside ginger beer, sarsaparilla, and portello.

• CordialsConcentrated non-alcoholic beverage

  Concentrated beverage products were part of the company's traditional manufacturing scope, alongside ready-to-drink carbonated soft drinks.

• Honey-based beveragesSpecialty non-alcoholic beverage

  Trend Drinks also manufactured beverages based on honey, giving the range a specialty component beyond conventional flavoured soft drinks and cordials.

• Carbonated chocolate-flavoured drinkSpecialty carbonated soft drink

  A distinctive carbonated beverage with chocolate flavouring. The product demonstrates the company's willingness to maintain niche offerings alongside traditional soft-drink flavours.

• 2015Sale of Trend Drinks to Beechworth Heritage DrinksM&A

  Trend Drinks was a long-running locally owned manufacturer operating in a South Australian market where independent regional bottlers had declined as larger international brands expanded.

  What changed. The Casey family sold the business to Beechworth Heritage Drinks, which moved the operation from Gladstone to Corowa in New South Wales.

  Aftermath. The original Gladstone operation ended, while Trend-associated products continued to be produced in New South Wales under the F.C. Grubb brand.

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• 2015Trend Drinks business sold and relocated to New South Wales

  The Casey family sold the Gladstone-based Trend Drinks business to Beechworth Heritage Drinks. Production and the associated business operation moved to Corowa, New South Wales, with Trend products continuing under the F.C. Grubb brand.

  M&A
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1. Trend Drinks