Wimmers has been refreshing Queenslanders since 1910, and now the century-old soft drink maker is preparing to take its heritage brand to new markets.
Founded in 1910 in the small Queensland town of Nambour, Wimmers has grown from a humble cordial business into one of Australia’s longest-standing soft drink makers. More than a century later, the brand remains proudly rooted in the Sunshine Coast community, producing its drinks just down the road in Cooroy.
The company was started by Frank Wimmer and his son, German immigrants who built a loyal following with their handcrafted cordials. Over the years, Wimmers became known for bold flavours, cane sugar sweetness and a focus on quality ingredients. One of its biggest innovations came in the 1920s, when Wimmers became the first Australian company to commercialise lemon, lime and bitters as a ready-to-drink product – a tradition that continues today with the use of Angostura bitters.
Ownership of the business remained in the Wimmer family until 1997, when it was purchased by Cooroy Mountain Spring Water. In 2011, just after the company’s centenary, Wimmers entered receivership. The brand’s survival hinged on a crucial condition: it had to remain in Cooroy. Local construction businessmen Peter and Toni Lavin stepped in, transforming the former brickworks site at Lake Macdonald into a state-of-the-art automated facility while preserving Wimmers’ heritage.
Simon Rathbone, Head of Sales at Wimmers, says the dedication to tradition is what sets Wimmers apart.
“Our recipes are still basically the same as they were back in 1910. We still use Queensland cane sugar, and in the case of our lemon, lime and bitters, we have, and only ever plan to, use Angostura bitters.”
This commitment has built deep consumer loyalty, particularly in Queensland, where Wimmers’ Double Sarsaparilla holds the crown as the nation’s best-selling sarsaparilla.
“In Queensland, we outsell both Schweppes’ and Bundaberg’s versions of sarsaparilla,” Rathbone says.
Nostalgia plays a major role in the brand’s appeal. Many Queenslanders remember Wimmers deliveries arriving on the back of Austin trucks, and today the company leans into its heritage with taglines such as “Taste the Tradition” and “The Taste of an Australian Summer.”
Despite its storied past, Wimmers is also looking forward. Under Noosa Beverages, the company has expanded its portfolio to include Cooroy Mountain Spring Water and Noosa Natural Mineral Water. It has introduced new flavours such as Pink Hibiscus – lighter and designed to attract new consumers – and reintroduced classics like passionfruit. Distribution, once limited to Queensland and parts of northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory, is now being eyed for expansion into southern states.
“There are new flavours in the pipeline, and we want to move more interstate,” Rathbone says. “There aren’t many scalable, sustainable, privately owned soft drink companies left in Australia. We think retailers should give more shelf space to local names like ours instead of bowing to the globals.”
After 115 years, Wimmers remains a rare example of an Australian-owned, community-anchored beverage business. One that has endured world wars, changing tastes, and corporate competition. And if Rathbone’s ambitions are realised, the future may see this Queensland icon become a national favourite.
This article originally appeared in the October/November issue of Convenience and Impulse Retailing magazine.
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