Snapple Founder Leonard Marsh Dies At 80

The founder of the beverage maker Snapple has died, leaving behind a legacy for creating a brand iconic for its natural flavors, strange combinations, and quirky marketing.

Leonard Marsh was co-founder of the Snapple beverage company. Along with his brother-in-law Hyman Golden and childhood friend Arnold Greenberg, Marsh started the company in 1972 as Unadulterated Food Products, selling natural fruit juices to health food stores.

The company didn’t become Snapple until 1980, but quickly grew in popularity with its new name. By the early and mid 1990s the brand had risen to the top of the fruit drink world, spawning many imitators and even creating pop culture phenomenon. The company’s spokeswoman, dubbed “The Snapple Lady,” one of the most famous advertising campaigns of the decade.

Snapple is still known for its marketing, and last year announced that Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney had signed on as a spokeswoman. The company again was trying to cash in on a pop culture icon, as Maroney’s unimpressed face after winning a silver medal became a popular meme.

Regan Ebert, senior vice president for marketing at Dr Pepper Snapple, told the New York Times that the company hoped to “leverage the meme” to promote Snapple.

“What we’re hoping is the fact she’s finally impressed will get digital buzz across the Internet,” Ebert said.

Marsh came a long way in his business life, starting as window washer before eventually rising to chief executive officer at Snapple. The company has since been purchased and is now part of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. of Plano, Texas.

“We’re saddened to learn of the passing of Mr. Marsh,” Jim Trebilock, executive vice president of marketing for the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, said in a statement. “He, along with his partners Arnold Greenberg and Hyman Golden, brought the best stuff on Earth to the masses. Today we tip our Snapple cap in his honor.”

The Snapple founder died Tuesday at his home in Manhasset, New York. He is predeceased by the company’s other founders — Golden died in 2008 and Greenberg last year.