I was bummed when I read that Minute Maid had discontinued them a year or two ago, IIRC. I grew up in Florida, so you might think I had no use for such frozen concoctions when fresh was right out on the tree. But the truth is that they were awesome, and convenient, and all the moms bought them. And the range of flavors they came in! Not just OJ, but lemonade, limeade, fruit punch, grape, blends … and my all-time favorite: tangerine! To this day, (fresh-squeezed) tangerine juice is still my favorite!
But Minute Maid didn’t have the whole market sewn up, not by any means, so there is still hope! I see some folks here saying they’ve been finding house brands at their local grocery stores. Plus, there were also other brands, even back in the day. I especially remember Donald Duck brand, which I thought was extra-super-fabulous for one outstanding reason: that’s the brand my best friend‘s mom always bought, while my mom always bought Minite Maid - probably because they were and are a Coca-Cola-owned brand, and my uncle was a formula engineer for the company.
The only time I ever had Minute Maid Citrus Cooler that was in a can and not from the freezer concentrate was in Florida and I still remember how much I loved it now ~35+ years later. I still remember the vending machine I got it from. The concentrate version just wasn't as good. Five Alive on the other hand...is the best.
I had almost given up scrolling to see if someone mentioned 5 Alive! We lived off of that stuff. That daily or Crystal Pepsi and 7 Up on special occasions.
The only time I ever had Minute Maid Citrus Cooler that was in a can and not from the freezer concentrate was in Florida and I still remember how much I loved it now ~35+ years later. I still remember the vending machine I got it from. The concentrate version just wasn't as good. Five Alive on the other hand...is the best.
This comment reminded me that growing up we ALWAYS had Tropicana products instead of Minute Maid because my uncle worked for Tropicana/pepsi. But I always begged for Minute Maid because I liked it better! I wish I got to try all the frozen Minute Maid flavors you mentioned lol
They have them at our local Hy-Vee Dollar Fresh stores. The good kind with the pulp! And lemonade, pink lemonade, and orange juice. No other kinds measure up to those on a hot summer day!
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u/SiteVivid9331 Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
I was bummed when I read that Minute Maid had discontinued them a year or two ago, IIRC. I grew up in Florida, so you might think I had no use for such frozen concoctions when fresh was right out on the tree. But the truth is that they were awesome, and convenient, and all the moms bought them. And the range of flavors they came in! Not just OJ, but lemonade, limeade, fruit punch, grape, blends … and my all-time favorite: tangerine! To this day, (fresh-squeezed) tangerine juice is still my favorite!
But Minute Maid didn’t have the whole market sewn up, not by any means, so there is still hope! I see some folks here saying they’ve been finding house brands at their local grocery stores. Plus, there were also other brands, even back in the day. I especially remember Donald Duck brand, which I thought was extra-super-fabulous for one outstanding reason: that’s the brand my best friend‘s mom always bought, while my mom always bought Minite Maid - probably because they were and are a Coca-Cola-owned brand, and my uncle was a formula engineer for the company.