I bought the Hoffman distributership from Joe Pingatore for both Monmouth and Ocean Counties of New Jersey..I have many interesting vignettes of how I incresed their business many times over in a very short time. With the help of a man by the name of Irv Dunkelman who taught me the business...If you are interested in hearing a lot of interesting tales, call me at 732 922 1750

how about this hoffman jingle..... you dont have to go to a university,to know what you should do when you're thirsity. drink hoffman,drink hoffman,and there was another line i cant remember

I remember the jingle about university and thirsity and not the last line - it is making me nuts -- I remember the little characters and drinking out of the straws, but not the last line. I will probably remember it during a deep sleep and then what!!

I believe the last line of the jingle was HOFFMANS IS THE FINEST WHEN YOU'RE THIRSITY. (Anothewr message board says it was Hoffmans is the best when you are thirsity.)

Further internet search shows a 1948 print ad saying HOFFMANS IS THE FINEST. That lead me to believe that my memory of the last line of the jingle was correct. So I believe the jingle went, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO UNIVERSITY--TO KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WHEN YOU ARE THIRSITY -- DRINK HOFFMANS -- DRINK HOFFMANS -- HOFFMANS IF THE FINEST WHEN YOU'RE THIRSITY

TYPO CORRECTION -- That leads me to believe my memory of the last line of the jingle was correct. So I believe the jingle went: YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO UNIVERSITY -- TO KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WHEN YOU ARE THIRSITY -- DRINK HOFFMANS -- DRINK HOFFMANS -- HOFFMANS IS THE FINEST WHEN YOU'RE THIRSITY

How about the commercial on WOR-AM in the sixties............."Pop the top of a Hoffman Soda straight from the Hoffman Tree"

The first "Drink Hoffmans" was actually "Go for Hoffmans". The whole jingle was "You don't have to go to University (pronounced univers-i-tee, accent on the tee), to know what you should do when you are thirsty (Pronounced thirs-i-tee). Go for Hoffmans, drink Hoffmans. Hoffmans is the finest when you're thirsty (Pronounced thirs-i-tee).

"The prettiest girl I ever saw was sippin' Hoffmans through a straw..." Got it? :)

I remember growing up in Hudson County.. and John you are correct that was their jingle... I used to have an old bottle... got broken in my travels.. wish I had it again...

My neighbor says when he was young, he sung this in acepela. He remembers "The prettiest girl..." line, but I don't understand how that ties into "You don't have to go to a university, to know what you should..." line.

The Hoffmans radio jingle that I remember best, circa late 1960s-early 1970s, was "Bring on Hoffmans...Hoffmans brings on the fun."

I remember buying Hoffmans Creme soda in large bottles in Queens, NY in the 50's and 60's. I think they had Black Cherry and Orange too. It a good brand, Sad it's gone.

I grew up on Hoffman Sodas. They were the best ever. No other soda maker can even compare with their quality sodas. They were delivered to us in a wooden crate as I recall.I have been trying to determine if any company picked up their recipes and sells them today. I haven't been able to determine if that ever happened. I remember though when Cott beverages came on the scene and I think they destroyed Hoffman Sodas. When did Hoffman finally go out of business? I figure sometime in the 1960's. Can't find much info on their history so far either. I grew up in Carlstadt, NJ not far from Newark.

I remember they had a Chocolate Soda, my parents had the soda delivered on Long Island. We were only allowed to have soda on Sunday with dinner and got to pick our favorite flavor. Great memories.

this was my familys business long before i was born. My grandfather used to tell me stories on how they would make carbonated water with water and carbonit gas and he had some of the origibnal recipes My grandfather was William H hoffman and i believe it was either his father or grandfather that had this business. It was originally stared in egg harbor and was sold before it got big. wish i had more info to share but proud to be from the hoffman family tree and happy to see people having fond memories of it.....

I read in the paper that Mrs. Hoffman who inherited it all from her husband recently died in NJ. a millionaire, she left one of her farms to be a park.

My great grandfather was Mr. Hoffman. If Shannon or anyone wants to contact me to share histories, etc., feel welcomed to contact me at matovo @ comcast . net

Don't know why I thought about Hoffman's soda today. Thought I'd search & see it there was any information out there about it. The only time we had Hoffman's was when we went to our grandparents in Newark. It would've been all during the 60s. There was the crate in the furnace room & I remember being afraid of the furnace fire & noise when I was little but the soda was worth dashing in there to grab a bottle. I remember the Black Cherry, Cream, Orange & Chocolate flavors. Don't remember any soda since then having the same kind of aeration with the bubbles and kind of cleaner flavors. Who knows...may just be my nostalgic memory but it's a good one.

I remember being in elementry school in the Bronx P.S. 107, last day of school everyone got a can of soda. My favoirte was balck cherry, can still taste it now.

Hoffman chocolate cream - mmmmm. My favorite soda - loved it when I was a kid, but I haven't seen it in probably 45-50 years.. I keep looking for something similar, but have yet to see anything except vanilla cream.

I was born in 1979 and I remember drinking Hoffman at my elementry school in cliston new jersey.St Philips on valley rd. It wasn't for the kids but I was on the stage crew and found a bunch of it in a dressing room. It was good and tasted fresh so I don't think they were old. I'm pretty sure they had pop tops. They were the best sodas I've ever had. The cola tasted real and so much better then coke or pepsi. The black cherry was also really good. Does anyone know when hoffman actually went out of business? Any plans to bring it back even on a small scale?

I loved the Hoffman Soda song "prettiest girl I ever saw". You can hear it by searching on Youtube for "hoffman soda song". You will find a video for WABC radio -1962. At 9:03 into the video you will hear the Hoffman Soda song. Brings back great memories!

Sorry the message about PS107 should have been for Lola

I went to PS107...Mr. Stein was the principal...remember G.O. movies on Fridays..Hoffman Soda and Breyer's Ice Cream helped to sponsor...yep, got a soda last day of school, my favorite was orange

Hoffman soda was created by my great uncle but I don't know much about the company itself wasn't around yet at the time it was around.

I remember in the early 60's hoffman had a bottling plant in my home town...Perth Amboy, New Jersey....I do not know why it closed, but I sure do miss all the flavors and the hoffman girl song

I remember in the 50s having Hoffman delivered to the door of our apartment in Brooklyn. Their coffee soda was my favorite.

Remember fondly my first encounter with "exotic" sarsaparilla, but even "ordinary" flavors were special. Another favorite: black cherry. As with many, soda was a Sunday dinner and holiday treat.

Sondra, if you like coffee soda, I would recommend the Manhattan Special brand - made in Brooklyn (plant is on Manhattan Avenue).

Was there also a lemon/lime flavor?

I'd just like to answer the questions of when Hoffman's went out of business. I was born in '81 & had this exquisite soda every time my sister & I visited my grandmother (Long Island) as a child. She bought it by the case & it came w/ all the flavors (assuming from the beverage center). So I can confidently say this was made well into the mid 80's believe it or not. People seem to think it was discontinued in the 60's or 70's which is such a shame since they still used the same quality formulas & even the same packaging which I remember clearly & loved dearly. I've actually had someone say that she must've stocked up when they went out of business in the 70's (not true!). What's more is how many great flavors they had at that point, the case included so many. I remember Black Cherry (which was likely my favorite), Cream (which was my sister's & the best cream soda I've ever had), Lemon-Lime, I believe Orange & Grape..maybe Root Beer? I feel like there were more. All in one case. It was so fun as a kid we got to pick a different flavor each time & we never had soda otherwise. Nor did I ever care about soda, even to this day with the exception of Hoffman's. I long for it & feel lucky that at 34 years old I can be part of the discussion of the greatest soda ever made that I just happened to catch the tail end of. Not common for a product that people remember from the 40's, 50's & 60's! Bring it back please!

Oh yeah...and Cola. Possibly Ginger Ale, can't remember.

Would love to bring this soda back. Who has the rights to the formulas?

I am so surprised that there is so little information on what happened to this wonderful soda company. I grew up on Hoffman Black Cherry and Cream Soda. When I was a kid Hoffman soda was all I knew.I wish someone could tell me if they were bought out by another company or did they just closed their doors to business.

Lola and Tanya , I went to "The" Bronx PS 107 When Mr Stein was there. Do you remember Miss Lindsey, Mrs Wiggs, Mr Nove, Mrs Callahan, Miss Bookferra - I not sure of any of their spellings I still have my year book from the 6th Grade - I have to look for it - Drink Hoffman's - I delivered Hoffman's soda when I was 16 years old. Do you remember the old seltzer trucks? Toughest job in the world!

I remember as a kid in Huntington L I. Maybe 12yrs. old getting Hoffman's soda in a King Kullen store on Park Av. (gone), Now a Hyundai dealer back in '76. My favorite was Chocolate Cream. The best soda I ever had. Even to this day. And second best was Black Cherry I too wish someone could bring back those soda recipes. Today's sodas cannot compare to those of yesteryear. Hoffman was truly one of a kind.

Okay...I love to see that lot's of nice people miss Hoffman's finest drinks. How many will support a kick starter for me to make a Hoffman Soda come back??? Hoffman is the finest... :)

didnt hoffman soda sponsor sunday mornings children hour tv show in the early 1950s?

I grew up in New Rochelle, NY, in the '50s and remember Hoffman's Cream and Black Cherry flavors. Great stuff! Soda tasted better then because it was made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup (yecch!). Somehow, I thought it was a national, not regional, brand. I was wondering when and why they folded - squeezed off the shelves by the national brands, perhaps? Re: jingles, I remember two. "The prettiest girl...." came to mind tonight, which is what led me here. The original is a folk-type song with "cider" instead of "Hoffman." It was a 1953 hit (with "soda") for Guy Mitchell, written (or co-opted) by a folkie named Paul Campbell. The other one is the "university/thirs-i-ty" jingle; I remember it as a march with some hokey cartoons on the TV ad and also as a radio ad. Thanks to everyone who posted; you made my night! And if the person who wants to kickstart it gets serious, let me know; I'm in various places on line under this name.

I was told as a kid in the 50's that my family developed the soda in Germany and one of the brothers came to the US and started it up here. The family name was Hoffmann but the final n was dropped.

In the early 1960s I lived in Verona. NJ. During the summer I attended the Day Camp run by the YMCA in Montclair. There was a small building the back of the Y which had one of those big metal floor model coolers in which they kept cans of Hoffman soda. I loved the black cherry and the ginger ale. I could also get Hoffman soda at Henry's Fine Foods in Verona. (Which is still there!)I recall buying a big bottle of Hoffman's ginger ale at Henry's, but the moment I stepped out the door it somehow slipped on my hand and smashed on the sidewalk. I didn't have the money to but another bottle. I was heartbroken!

Mount Vernon NY native here. A neighborhood beverage distributor near my home, Martimucci Beverage, carried Hoffman well into the late 80s and maybe even early 90s. We often bought a few cases whenever we had family gatherings, holidays, etc. I can still remember the colorful cans with their "bubble" motif. The cream soda had a picture of vanilla beans in above the logo, I recall. Their cream and black cherry were really good, as was the ginger ale. We and my maternal grandparents were also regular buyers of Leewood soda from Tuckahoe. You could go their bottling center/warehouse in Tuckahoe and make up your own case with different flavors. Some of their bottles were green and others clear glass. Our Portuguese next door neighbors and friends, the Rodrigues family, used to have a soda called Vigor delivered to their house. It came in old-fashioned glass bottles and I remember having orange and cola when hanging out with the four Rodrigues brothers. Haven't been able to find much of anything about Vigor but I suspect it was a small tri-state area brand. Also have fond memories of my cousin Sonny giving me cans of C&C Pineapple soda for free when I'd go in his corner deli on South 11th and Sandford Boulevard. Probably why I still like pineapple soda to this day. Anyone remember a brand called Faygo or Fago? I used to love their chocolate soda as a kid. Cott and White Rock were common in this area as well.

Every Italian family has to have a "Sonny." I think it's actually spelled out in the Constitution.

I went to school with Mitchell Hoffman, P.S. 108, in the Bronx, in the 1950's. Great school. His father was part of the Hoffman soda family. Poor child had hemophelia. Father gave soda out to the whole school. Don't know what happened to the family.

I HAVE A QUESTION. DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER THE HOFFMAN SODA PLASTIC COASTERS IN RED, BLUE AND WHITE. I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFORMATION ON THESE ITEMS. COULD SOMEONE HELP PLEASE.

Hoffman sodas were the best! Sure wish someone would bring them back. The taste was extra special. Going to the candy store and getting a couple of bottles to make ice cream sodas was always a treat.

I grew up in Montvale, NJ in the 1970s. I was introduced to Hoffman's after little league games when we went to the snack stand. I always got a Hoffman's Cream Soda. I can't properly express how much I miss those. Like several others here, I would love to know who has the formulas to their sodas now. I would love to try to replicate what they had!

remember the huge Hoffman bottle water tank i Ivington

I grew up in NYC with Hoffman sodas. They were high end. Did you ever try Mission brand sodas from the Bronx?

My grandparents always had a bottle of Hoffman's Ginger Ale in the fridge. I remember Mission sodas. I Never saw it in NYC (the Bronx), but found it and drank it during the summers I spent as a kid in Monticello, NY.

I grew up in the Bronx in the 60 and, yes, we did have Mission soda. In our neighborhood in Hillside Homes it was served at the 'Jewish' deli. I think the real name was Zion...on Boston Road. I don't recall Mission being sold in the local supermarkets.

Grew up in Guttenberg Nj, always love Hoffman's soda-it tasted better thn Peterson's. Just researched, company folded in 1985-Newark NJ

I did not notice it listed here, but, Hoffman's cola was called "Tapa Cola". My dad was district manager for South Jersey and Eastern Long Island in the mid 50s. I saw the name Pingatore in one of the postings. I remember hearing that name from my dad. Not because he worked for them, but it really was good soda.

Loved Hoffman's creme soda... Wish I could find it today, nothing compares to it!

My Dad carried every flavor hoffmans soda in his diner in the 60s and 70s. The black cherry flavor was the best.

I was hooked on all the Hoffman flavors while growing up in The Bronx, but my favorite was Black Raspberry. I remember reading that the company was associated with Pabst Brewing, and there was a strike, which ended up driving the distributor out of business. The brand, with its formulas continued for a while; I remember Leewood Beverages distributing it in Westchester County in the '60s. I think it later made a comeback in cans, but not with all its flavors. The opening scene in Woody Allen's movie, Radio Days, has the family in Rockaway eating dinner with a big 26 oz. bottle of Hoffman Ginger Ale, prominently shown on the table. I also liked Hoffman Lemon, it was so superior to 7-Up.

I forgot to mention that I remember that Hoffman and Pabst sponsored New York Giants baseball games on WMCA radio, along with Chesterfield cigarettes.

Found a few images of the Polo Grounds, where the Giants played. One from 1955 shows a Chesterfield billboard ("It's A Hit! Buy Chesterfield"). Pabst was a national brand beer then, though had no New York brewery (one in Newark opened around 1962). Saw no signs for Hoffman's.

I grew up in NYC and Union County, NJ, through the 1960's. I remember when in NJ elementary school we had someone come to our school and show us a movie about how Hoffman Soda was made, after which everyone got a free can of soda. This happened more than once. My favorite was Black Cherry.

I have 2 28 ounce unopened bottles of Hoffman Quinine water. I wonder if they have any value.

Guy Montag (Oct.15 2012) asked about how "The prettiest girl" ties into "You don't have to go to university." Answer — it doesn't, those were two completely different jingles. The "university" one, which was an original tune — a march, with drums as I remember — was used in the early or mid 1950s; the other was much later. I grew up in Brooklyn, where we drank not only Hoffman's, but also Kirsch and Cott ("It's COTT to be good."). There was also "After the drama, Pale Dry by Hammer, The honest-to-ginger ginger ale." They were all good. I very rarely drink soft drinks any more.

Hoffman soda was my great grandfather soda company he started back in Egg Harbor, New York in the early 40’s. This soda company was not started in Germany and brought to the U.S.. It stayed within my great grandfather family for a couple decades till it got bought out by another company. My mom is Shannon and made a comment earlier in 2014. I still have half my family with the Hoffman name still living in New York and some in New Jersey who will tell you the same history of our families soda company. We still have glass bottle from the old day of Hoffman soda when it was in our family. And no one died a millionaire in my family from this soda company. And remember the jingle “The prettiest girl I ever saw, was sipping Hoffman through a straw.” My grandma Robbin Hoffman was the one who told me about this Hoffman soda company and some part of me wants to buy it back and keep the legacy of Hoffman soda going.

YouTube has an audio recorded from WABC radio in early 1963 with a portion of the Hoffman's "Prettiest Girl" commercial. Video is a compilation of various broadcast clips. WABC was apparently a Top 40 station back then. The video lasts 14 minutes, and the Hoffman spot is in the 9 minute area of the 14.

Every summer from 1970 to 1975 we would rent a bungalow at Hoffmans Bungalow Colony on Cold Spring Road in Monticello NY. Was owned by the Hoffman soda family and I remember our sports rivals being White Rock ( another soda co) Colony in Liberty. Always had Hoffmans soda in the fridge growing up. Favorites were Black Cherry and Lemon Lime.

Mid1950's. Jamaica Queens NY. Hoffman family members lived in Jamaica Estates. Our Cub Scout pack had meetings in their home. Close to and just north of what is now Northern State Pky. Wish I could recall the boys name in that family. I think it was Bob. Always had their soda on hand. Great memories. If anyone can fill in the blanks, much appreciated

I grew up in Cypress Hills Brooklyn in the 1960s. My parents both worked and my Grandma watched me. If I was really good I would get a slice of homemade walnut pound cake, toasted and buttered and a big glass of Hoffmans Chocolate Cream Soda with a scoop of Howard Johnsons Chocolate Ice cream in it with 2 striped paper straws. I was in heaven.Sooooooo good. Nothing ever like it.

a bit of history correction. I see people saying Hoffman Soda was started in Egg Harbor. This isn't true from what Ive seen in the Hoffman archives. The factory was built in New Jersey, Newark, and the original incorporation papers are in the New Jersey state archives. Albert Hoffman, once owned a house not too far from the factory, which was built in the 1920's at a time when the rest of the country was in a depression so that tells you that people really enjoyed the soda and were thirsty. Albert, William, Ellwood, and all of the Hoffman's are in the archives. And yes, the product was the FINEST! A true Hoffman has an unmistakable obsession with quality and customer satisfaction. Mitzi Mayfair was Albert's former wife. They weren't equally yoked, so to speak. Albert next wife, was his life partner and she worked with Albert at the factory as a secretary. There are Hoffman's and NO they are not broke. The greatest legacy of the Hoffman family is the ingenuity, the ability to create something. While it saddens me that our family brand was sold to Pabst and our name was put thru the mud, because the new owners did not adhere to the quality standards, the original recipes are still in the family for those who are of the bloodline. There were distributorships that I see that branched out from the Newark Headquarters to other states in the family archives and various paperwork and contracts. The Hoffmans had a local reputation for being able to build or fix anything in Union, Jersey City, Newark, and New York. The Hoffman's in Union are but just one branch of the family. There are many branches from what I see in the archives. For anyone who wants to find out, you can obtain a lot of information directly from the Archives and Records Administration. The biggest challenge for us right now is to track down all the older people who are still alive who can recount their memories, and also verify the documents they are being so gracious to contribute. Many of these documents, stories, and history are irreplaceable.

My great-grandfather, Charles (born Carl in Germany) Walz, was vice-president of sales for Hoffman Soda in the 30s. He was a very large man and died in 1940 of a massive heart attack on the train or trolley (not sure which) from his office in down town Newark to his home in in Valesburg (now Newark). I remember Hoffman’s cream soda as my favorite as child.

In the 80's I worked in a grocery store in New Milford CT. The Hoffman sodas were still available then, area distributor was the Light Rock Co. in Danbury. Though I share the name, I know of no connection between my folks and the beverage company. My family were longtime residents in Essex County NJ and we were related by marriage to the Hartford family who owned the A & P grocery stores.

While in College, during the late 1950's-early 1960's, I worked summers and during the pre-Christmas holiday rush in the soda industry. During one stint I worked in the Hoffman bottling plant in Long Island City and was amazed by the plant quality and the fact that the soda was, unlike other brands, bottled hot. It was truly "the" quality brand. Also, yes Hoffman sponsored Ed Herlihy's Children's Hour on Sunday Morning in the 1950's. My two cousins had the honor of appearing on that show and the recording of it includes the Hoffman jingle.

Leaving another comment all these years later (that's how good Hoffman's was it never leaves your mind). My other favorite flavor I forgot to mention was FRUIT PUNCH. I know this wasn't an original flavor but it sure was in the 80's. I'd never had a fruit punch soda and it was mind blowingly good. I'm still on the hunt for a good replacement that uses real fruit & sugar. Crazy no one has found a good replacement for Hoffman's after all these years. I'm going to try Jarritos which comes in glass bottles, uses real sugar and natural fruit flavors. They don't have cherry or cream soda but they do have fruit punch and a bunch of other fruit flavors.

For special occasions we would get a half glass of the Raspberry soda with wine. I'm Italian and was thinking of it when I had a glass of wine with dinner tonight. We all loved it and felt growth up because of the wine added to the soda

I grew up on William St, East Orange. Always pestered my dad to drive us around the Newark warehouses/factory to see the huge Hoffman's soda brick 'bottle'. Later I think it was repainted to be Pabst beer. One of the shoe salesmen at Wentshes Shoes (sp?) next to the E.O. Erie Lakawana train station, twice a year side job was being lowered into the bottle to clean it (was a giant water tank).