Original New York Seltzer

In 1982 the father/son team of Alan and Randy Miller had the idea of marketing an all-natural (ie no preservatives) soda to the masses. "Original New York Seltzer" was born in, of all places, Walnut California and within three years of launching secured a distribution deal that allowed it to take off. Suddenly everyone in the soda-know was trading in their New Coke for this upstart retro-bev. Obsessively peeling off the styrofoam labels became the thing to do for young people with excess nervous energy from coast to coast. Sales peaked at around $100 million in the late 80s and Randy Miller became a sort of new age corporate guru, even making an appearance on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous".

Unfortunately Original New York Seltzer began to fizzle out as the decade turned and by 1993 the company was seeking bankruptcy protection. In 1994 Miller walked away from the company and it was left to the courts to decide it's fate. After leaving ONYS he turned his attention to raising and training wild cats of the large variety (lions and tigers etc). "I wasn't cut out to head a major corporation" he said at the time "I'm really good at this."

Precious little is available anywhere that adequately explains exactly when and how the company was dissolved. Some people claim they can still buy ONYS at Big Lots while most others insist it has been relagated to the dustbin of business history.