The Nostalgic Childhood Drink That 1970s Kids Remember Is Still Made Today

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Many adults might name "Rolaids" as their favorite candy. But, children's digestive systems seem to be built differently, effortlessly cycling through sugary sweets and soft drinks. Still, foodies who grew up during the Disco Decade won't soon forget one particular discontinued childhood drink – the popular grape soda inspired by one of our highest-ranking grape juice brands. We could, of course, only be talking about Welch's Grape Soda, which dominated the '70s and has earned a place of fame among today's soda-lovers.

Welch's Grape Soda first hit the market in 1974, the same year Gerald Ford stepped in for Nixon and Abba's "Waterloo" topped the Billboard charts. After a decades-long run, it was retired in 2011, pulled from grocery store shelves seemingly-inexplicably. Although, perhaps notably, Grape Soda's discontinuation coincided with the fall of soft drinks in the American public opinion at large due to rising health concerns, particularly surrounding child consumers. 

According to an ABC News report from 2014, U.S. soda consumption had dropped by 44% since 1998. One consumer told the outlet, "I grew up with soda in our house. I would drink like two or three cans of Coke a day [...] [But now] we made it kind of a rule, we wouldn't have soda in the house." Fast-forward to 2024, and a report by educational publisher McGraw Hill flashed the headline "Soda Surges in Popularity after Decade-Long Decline." Apparently, Welch's Grape Soda was ahead of the curve — and perhaps its comeback even contributed to the shifting consumer trend.

Following the product's 2011 discontinuation, a "Bring Back Welch's Grape Soda" protest page popped up on Facebook (and still currently has 1.7K loyal followers). Welch's Grape Soda finally made its highly-anticipated comeback in 2015, quickly gaining national distribution and, according to the company's 2015 annual report, "significant volume," as reported by Food Dive. As Anthony Pessolano of Welch's partner Global Beverage Corp. shared in a press release, via the outlet, "[T]he feedback is as strong as anything I have ever seen. Clearly the consumer has a strong affinity for the Welch's trademark that translates to strong carbonated soft drink purchase intent." A generous way to identify a low-key cult following.

That initial enthusiasm hasn't seemed to wear off in the years since its comeback. Nearly all of the online comments echo Welch's Grape Soda's flavor supremacy, but lament its hard-to-find availability. The official Welch's Soda website includes a product locator feature to help fans track down the drink at local retailers nationwide. Still, the soda seems to sometimes be available for purchase among the hidden gems in Dollar Tree's grocery aisles. At the time of publication, a 12-pack of 12-ounce Welch's Grape Soda cans runs for $25.50 on Amazon. Other commenters chime in to map out which local retailers seem to carry the beloved soda, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, New York, and more — which might make sense considering the Welch's company's production operations are based in the Finger Lakes region, the Midwest, and Northern Washington.