Copella

Copella is a British fruit-juice company and brand associated with the Suffolk countryside near Boxford. Its principal identity is built around apple juice made from locally sourced or regionally associated apples, with an emphasis on juice that is not made from concentrate and does not have added water. The business developed from a family fruit-growing and soft-fruit enterprise established in Suffolk in the 1930s by Devora Peake and her first husband, Bernard Loshak. After Loshak's death, Peake continued the operation with her second husband, Bill Peake. After roughly three decades of fruit farming and trading, the family acquired a fruit press and moved into juice production. The first Copella beverage was fresh apple juice, and the family gave the product the Copella name. The name is explained as a combination of the opening letters of Cox's Orange Pippin, one of the apple varieties used in the juice, and the ending of Carmella, the name of Devora Peake's youngest daughter. This naming convention linked the brand to both its agricultural raw materials and its family origins. The family business was sold to Taunton Cider Company, but the Peake family bought it back in 1991. Copella was subsequently acquired by Tropicana in 1998. Tropicana was acquired by PepsiCo in 1999, placing Copella within PepsiCo's wider beverage portfolio. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of later corporate restructuring, product extensions, sales performance, or international distribution. Copella is therefore best characterized as a Suffolk-rooted apple-juice brand whose differentiation rests on provenance, fruit pressing, and a non-concentrate product proposition.

Copella's roots lie in a Suffolk agricultural business established in the 1930s by Devora Peake and her first husband, Bernard Loshak. The couple settled in the Suffolk countryside and developed a farm that handled and sold soft fruit. After Loshak's death, Peake continued the enterprise with her second husband, Bill Peake. Her role is central to the brand's history: Copella's later name and identity are associated with her family and agricultural business. After approximately thirty years of operating the fruit enterprise, the family bought a fruit press and began making juice. The first beverage associated with the Copella name was fresh apple juice that was not made from concentrate and contained no added water. The move from fruit handling into pressing and branded beverage production created the foundation for Copella as a commercial juice company. The Copella name has a family and product reference. It was formed from the first letters of Cox's Orange Pippins, one of the main apple varieties used in the juice, combined with the final part of Carmella, the name of Devora Peake's youngest daughter. This construction connected the product to a recognizable apple variety while retaining a personal link to the Peake family. The company later came under the ownership of Taunton Cider Company. In 1991, the Peake family bought the business back. That return to family control preceded a further change in ownership: Tropicana acquired Copella in 1998. Tropicana itself was acquired by PepsiCo in 1999, so Copella subsequently became part of PepsiCo's broader beverage portfolio. The available reference material identifies the brand as a British company located south of Boxford in Suffolk, but does not document a complete chronology of later management, manufacturing changes, product launches, or market expansion. Copella's documented heritage is consequently defined by three stages: a Suffolk soft-fruit farm, the family transition into apple pressing and juice production, and incorporation into larger beverage groups through the Taunton Cider Company, Tropicana, and PepsiCo. Its core proposition remains associated with British apple juice, fruit-based production, and a non-concentrate formulation.

1. 1999Copella enters PepsiCo's portfolio

   PepsiCo acquired Tropicana, which made Copella part of PepsiCo's beverage and food operations.

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2. 1998Tropicana acquires Copella

   Copella was acquired by Tropicana, marking the brand's transition from family ownership into a larger beverage company.

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3. 1991Family ownership is restored

   The Peake family bought Copella back from Taunton Cider Company.

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4. 1969Copella is founded

   The Copella fruit-juice company was founded after the family moved from fruit handling into juice production using its own fruit press.

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5. 1930Peake family establishes a Suffolk fruit enterprise

   Devora Peake and Bernard Loshak established a farm in the Suffolk countryside that handled and sold soft fruit. The source describes this as the agricultural foundation of the later Copella business.

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A Suffolk-rooted fruit-juice brand positioned around fresh apple juice, fruit provenance, family heritage, and juice that is not made from concentrate.

• Copella fresh apple juiceApple juice1969

  Copella's foundational product is fresh apple juice made from pressed apples rather than from concentrate. The documented formulation contains no added water. The brand's name references Cox's Orange Pippin apples, one of the varieties used in production, and the product is closely associated with Suffolk fruit-growing heritage.

• 1999Tropicana acquisition by PepsiCoM&A

  Tropicana owned Copella after acquiring it in 1998.

  What changed. PepsiCo acquired Tropicana.

  Aftermath. Copella entered PepsiCo's beverage and food portfolio through Tropicana.

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• 1998Acquisition by TropicanaM&A

  Following its period of family ownership, Copella became the subject of a corporate acquisition.

  What changed. Tropicana acquired Copella.

  Aftermath. Copella became part of Tropicana's fruit-juice portfolio.

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• 1991Reacquisition from Taunton Cider CompanyM&A

  Copella had previously been acquired by Taunton Cider Company.

  What changed. The Peake family bought the company back from Taunton Cider Company.

  Aftermath. The business returned to family ownership before its acquisition by Tropicana in 1998.

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• 1969Launch of Copella fresh apple juiceProduct launch

  After operating a soft-fruit farm for about thirty years, the Peake family acquired a fruit press and began producing juice.

  What changed. The family introduced fresh apple juice under the Copella name, using a not-from-concentrate formulation with no added water.

  Aftermath. The juice became the foundation of the Copella brand and its association with Suffolk apple production.

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• 1999PepsiCo acquires Tropicana

  PepsiCo acquired Tropicana one year after Tropicana bought Copella, making Copella part of PepsiCo's beverage and food business.

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• 1998Tropicana acquires Copella

  Tropicana acquired Copella, bringing the Suffolk fruit-juice company into the Tropicana portfolio.

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• 1991Peake family buys Copella back from Taunton Cider Company

  The family behind Copella reacquired the company from Taunton Cider Company, restoring family ownership before the later sale to Tropicana.

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1. Copella