R. White's
A historic British carbonated lemonade brand produced and sold in the United Kingdom by Britvic.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
R. White's is a long-established British soft-drinks brand best known for carbonated lemonade. Its origins date to 1845, when Robert and Mary White began selling home-brewed ginger beer from a wheelbarrow in Camberwell, south London. The business expanded from a small local operation into a substantial regional drinks company, developing a broad portfolio of lemonades, fruit-flavoured sodas, mixers and other carbonated beverages. The White family business grew rapidly during the second half of the nineteenth century. By the late 1860s it had five production sites and 16 depots serving London and the English Midlands. The company later concentrated increasingly on lemonade and expanded through corporate consolidation. In 1891, the White family took over H. D. Rawlings Ltd., a drinks producer associated with mixers. The combination made the resulting business one of the largest soft-drinks companies in London and south-eastern England. R. White & Sons Ltd. was incorporated in 1894, formalising the family enterprise. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company offered a wide range of carbonated drinks. Products sold in the 1880s included strawberry soda, raspberry soda, cherryade, cream soda, pineapple cider, ginger beer, soda water and orange champagne. More than 40 flavours were reportedly available at the beginning of the twentieth century. The brand also operated through a distribution and delivery infrastructure that was affected by both world wars. During the First World War, more than 100 employees served in the armed forces and the company supplied the government with a substantial proportion of its horses and vans. During the Second World War, much of its vehicle fleet was requisitioned, while three major London factories were destroyed during the Blitz. Ownership and corporate structure changed significantly after the family-business era. Whitbread acquired the company in 1969. In 1980, Whitbread's soft-drinks operation was combined with Bass's soft-drinks business to create Britannia Soft Drinks. Allied Lyons subsequently merged the Britvic soft-drinks business into Britannia in 1986, establishing the corporate context in which R. White's later became a Britvic brand. Britvic became a public company in 2005. In 2025, Britvic was purchased by the Carlsberg Group, placing R. White's within Carlsberg's broader beverage portfolio. R. White's most important brand asset is its advertising heritage. The 1973 television campaign "Secret Lemonade Drinker" portrayed a man in night clothes secretly drinking lemonade from the refrigerator. The campaign, created by the London agency Allen, Brady and Marsh, became one of the best-known British soft-drinks advertisements and continued in various forms until 1984. It was revived in 1993 with new performers and celebrity appearances, and the original creative concept has been revisited in later advertising. In a Channel 4 poll broadcast in 2000, the advertisement ranked seventh among the UK's greatest television commercials. The core product remains lemonade made with real lemons. The regular recipe was historically sugar-based, but by 2012, and possibly earlier, some sugar had been replaced by sweeteners including aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K. The range has included regular, diet, Traditional Cloudy, Raspberry, Pear and Elderflower varieties. Packaging continues to reference the brand's early trading history through imagery of the original wheelbarrow. R. White's is therefore positioned as a heritage British soft-drinks label combining traditional provenance, recognizable advertising and a contemporary carbonated lemonade range.
History
R. White's traces its history to 1845, when Robert and Mary White began selling home-brewed ginger beer from a wheelbarrow in Camberwell, London. The wheelbarrow remains a visual reference in modern packaging. The enterprise expanded considerably during the nineteenth century, and by the late 1860s it had five production units and 16 depots across London and the Midlands. The business developed a broad carbonated-drinks range. In the 1880s, products included strawberry soda, raspberry soda, cherryade, cream soda, pineapple cider, ginger beer, soda water and orange champagne, sold in Codd's glass bottles. More than 40 flavours were available at the start of the twentieth century. As the company grew, members of the White family joined its management and the enterprise became R. White & Sons Ltd. in 1894. A major expansion came in 1891, when the White family took over H. D. Rawlings Ltd., a company associated with mixers. The merger made the combined operation the largest soft-drinks company in London and south-eastern England at that time. The company and its employees were affected by both world wars. During the First World War, more than 100 employees served in the armed forces, and the business supplied the government with over half of its horses and vans. In the Second World War, much of the vehicle fleet was requisitioned for military use. The Blitz destroyed three major London factories, imposing a substantial physical disruption on the operation. Corporate ownership changed in the post-war period. Whitbread acquired the company in 1969. In 1980, Whitbread's soft-drinks operations were combined with Bass's soft-drinks business to create Britannia Soft Drinks. Allied Lyons merged Britvic's soft-drinks business into Britannia in 1986. R. White's subsequently operated as part of the Britvic brand portfolio. Britvic became a public company in 2005, and Carlsberg acquired Britvic in 2025. The brand's public identity was transformed by the 1973 launch of the Secret Lemonade Drinker campaign. Developed by London agency Allen, Brady and Marsh, the advertisements featured Julian Chagrin sneaking downstairs in pyjamas to drink R. White's Lemonade from the refrigerator before being discovered by his wife, played by Harriet Philpin. The advertisement's song was written and performed by Ross McManus, with backing vocals from his son Declan McManus, later known as Elvis Costello. The campaign ran in different forms until 1984 and received a silver award at the 1974 International Advertising Festival. The advertising concept returned in 1985 with John Otway and was revived more extensively from 1993. Later versions used performers and public figures including Julian Dutton, Ronnie Corbett, Frankie Howerd, Nicholas Parsons, John McEnroe, Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves. Other executions included a Japanese-dubbed version, an animated Mr Benn version and a 2012 advertisement for R. White's Lemonade Lollies that brought back Julian Chagrin and Harriet Philpin. In 2000, the original campaign ranked seventh in Channel 4's poll of the UK's greatest television advertisements. R. White's remains primarily associated with lemonade. The range has included regular, diet, Traditional Cloudy, Raspberry, Pear and Elderflower varieties. Although the traditional lemonade recipe used sugar, the product had by 2012, and possibly earlier, replaced some sugar with aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K. The brand continues to combine a long British provenance, real-lemon messaging and nostalgic creative assets with modern soft-drink formulations.
- 2025
Carlsberg acquires Britvic
[1]The Carlsberg Group purchases Britvic, making it the corporate owner of the R. White's brand.
- 2012
Original performers return for Lemonade Lollies advertising
[1]Julian Chagrin and Harriet Philpin return in advertising for R. White's Lemonade Lollies.
- 2000
Secret Lemonade Drinker ranks among Britain's greatest television advertisements
[1]The campaign places seventh in Channel 4's poll of the UK's 100 greatest television advertisements.
- 1986
Britvic joins Britannia's soft-drinks business
[1]Allied Lyons merges Britvic's soft-drinks operation into Britannia.
- 1980
Britannia Soft Drinks formed
[1]Whitbread and Bass combine their soft-drinks businesses to form Britannia Soft Drinks.
- 1974
Advertising campaign receives an international award
[1]The Secret Lemonade Drinker advertisement wins a silver award at the International Advertising Festival.
- 1973
Secret Lemonade Drinker campaign launches
[1]The brand launches its best-known television advertising campaign, centered on a man secretly drinking lemonade at night.
- 1894
R. White & Sons Ltd. incorporated
[1]The family company is incorporated as R. White & Sons Ltd.
- 1891
Acquisition of H. D. Rawlings Ltd.
[1]The White family takes over H. D. Rawlings Ltd., strengthening the business in mixers and making it the largest soft-drinks company in London and south-eastern England.
- 1860
Regional expansion
[1]By the late 1860s, the business has five production units and 16 depots across London and the English Midlands.
Products and positioning
A heritage British lemonade brand built around real-lemon credentials, nostalgic packaging and highly recognizable advertising, particularly the Secret Lemonade Drinker campaign.
Carbonated lemonade
R. White's Lemonade
The brand's core carbonated lemonade, historically associated with a sugar-based recipe and real-lemon positioning. By 2012, and possibly earlier, part of the sugar had been replaced with aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K. It remains the principal product associated with the R. White's name.
Cloudy lemonade
R. White's Traditional Cloudy Lemonade
A cloudy-style lemonade variant presented as part of the brand's traditional and heritage-oriented range. It extends the core lemonade proposition while emphasizing a less-clear, more traditional visual and taste profile.
Reduced-sugar carbonated soft drink
R. White's Diet Lemonade
A diet version of the flagship lemonade. The brand's documented formulation history identifies the use of high-intensity sweeteners, including aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K, in place of some sugar.
Fruit-flavoured lemonade
R. White's Raspberry Lemonade
A raspberry-flavoured extension of the core lemonade line, combining the brand's carbonated lemon-drink identity with a berry flavour. It is one of the named contemporary varieties associated with the range.
Fruit-flavoured lemonade
R. White's Pear Lemonade
A pear-flavoured lemonade variant within the brand's broader fruit-led soft-drinks selection. It demonstrates the extension of R. White's beyond plain lemonade while retaining the carbonated lemonade format.
Flavoured lemonade
R. White's Elderflower Lemonade
An elderflower-flavoured variant of the brand's lemonade. It forms part of the modern flavour range alongside raspberry and pear and adds a floral profile to the established lemon base.
Frozen confectionery · 2012
R. White's Lemonade Lollies
A frozen product promoted through a 2012 advertisement featuring the return of original Secret Lemonade Drinker performers Julian Chagrin and Harriet Philpin.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Lemonade Lollies campaign
United Kingdom
R. White's promoted Lemonade Lollies with the return of Julian Chagrin and Harriet Philpin, reconnecting the product with the original television campaign.
Outcome. The execution reinforced the brand's use of nostalgia and its historic advertising characters.
- 1993Secret Lemonade Drinker revival
United Kingdom
The advertising concept was revived with Julian Dutton as the secret drinker and a series of versions featuring entertainers, actors, sports personalities and other public figures.
Outcome. The revival extended the campaign's cultural recognition and allowed the brand to reuse a familiar heritage platform in multiple creative executions.
- 1973Secret Lemonade Drinker
United Kingdom
Allen, Brady and Marsh created a television campaign in which a man played by Julian Chagrin sneaks downstairs in pyjamas to drink R. White's Lemonade, only to be discovered by his wife, played by Harriet Philpin. The musical advertisement used a song written and performed by Ross McManus, with backing vocals from his son Declan McManus, later known as Elvis Costello.
Outcome. The campaign became the brand's defining advertising property, ran in various forms until 1984, won a silver award at the 1974 International Advertising Festival and ranked seventh in Channel 4's 2000 poll of the UK's greatest television advertisements.
Brand decisions
2012
Partial reformulation of lemonade recipeStrategyBackground
The traditional lemonade recipe had historically used sugar, but the documented product formulation had by 2012, and possibly earlier, changed to replace some sugar with high-intensity sweeteners.
Action taken
Some sugar was replaced with aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K while the product continued to be presented as containing real lemons.
Aftermath
The change reflects the brand's adaptation of its established lemonade product to a contemporary sweetening formula; the available reference does not quantify its commercial or nutritional effect.
Recent events
- 2025
Carlsberg acquired Britvic[1]
M&A
Britvic was purchased by the Carlsberg Group, placing R. White's under Carlsberg ownership.
- 2005
Britvic became a public company[1]
Other
Britvic became publicly listed, although R. White's itself remained a brand rather than a separately listed company.
- 1986
Britvic was merged into Britannia's soft-drinks business[1]
M&A
Allied Lyons merged the Britvic soft-drinks business into Britannia, creating the corporate structure through which R. White's later operated under Britvic.
- 1980
Britannia Soft Drinks was formed[1]
M&A
Whitbread's soft-drinks operation was merged with Bass's soft-drinks business to form Britannia Soft Drinks.
- 1969
Whitbread acquired the R. White's business[1]
M&A
Whitbread took over the company associated with the R. White's brand, beginning a period of ownership by larger British beverage and consumer-goods groups.
Sources1 sources
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