Iconic South Australian Halls soft drinks returns for summer

Excitement is growing for the imminent return of a beloved soft drink brand boasting classic flavours.

Iconic South Australian soft drink brand Halls is making a comeback in 2023. Picture: Supplied

Excitement is exploding for the return off an iconic Australian soft drink brand.

Halls soft drinks, founded in South Australia in 1849, will begin shipping its flavoured drinks before December and social media is already brimming with anticipation.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas posted a photo of Halls cartons on Facebook on Thursday and the post has garnered more than 3400 views and nearly 1000 comments.

“It was loved for 149 years but (sadly) has been gone for decades,” the Premier said.

“Now Halls Soft Drinks is closer to making a comeback in South Australia. What flavours are you looking forward to?”

Halls was bought by soft drinks behemoth Coca-Cola in 1972 and the brand was discontinued in 2000.

But Adelaide businessman Cameron Ballard is bringing the beloved brews back after securing the Halls trademark from Coke.

A bottling facility at Willunga was secured in April and Mr Ballard said production would start within weeks.

Iconic South Australian soft drink brand Halls can be seen in this vintage photo of Adelaide Railway Station. Picture: Supplied

“We’re going to have the iconic flavours with more to follow,” he said, emphasising big hits like “lemon twist” and “fruita” were locked in.

“This is the quickest that I could actually make it happen, since I first attained the trademark.”

“For people who have been waiting patiently, I can tell you there is no-one who has been as impatient or more eager to start moving this out than myself.”

The Halls brand will fall under Mr Ballard’s newly named Ballard Brands company, formerly the Jolt Corporation Australia.

George Hall founded the brand in 1849 at a site in Marryatville.

His sons joined the company in 1869 and they moved to a larger premises in Norwood in east Adelaide in 1872.

“It (Halls) was part of my childhood,” Mr Ballard said.

“My thought process was initially, bring a bit of joy back to South Australia, a bit of nostalgia.

“I’m just a proud South Australian, I want to create jobs for South Australians and good memories and get back to a time where I think there must have been 10 or 15 soft drink producers in South Australia at one point.”