Founded in 1981 by the father and son team Alan and Randy Miller in Walnut, California, the brand’s popularity soared in the 1980s, focusing on a “natural” approach to soft drinks using a preservative-free formula in an era when such a practice was largely unheralded. Bubbly, fizzy and sold in charming siphon-style glass bottles embellished with a New York City motif, ONYS was omnipresent, with flavors ranging from Vanilla Cream to Orange.
One of the company’s biggest points of differentiation became the complete foregoing of artificial color, meaning that while Raspberry tasted like Raspberry, no unnecessary magenta hue bogged it down.
“The Choice is Clear” became its motto.