ROKEACH ADDS BEVERAGE DIVISION

BARBARA MURRAY

NEWARK, N.J. -- Last Passover's lack of 2-liter bottles of kosher Coca-Cola in the New York metropolitan area proved to be a blessing for Rokeach Corp. here, a manufacturer of kosher foods, and now, beverages. Rokeach, a 130-year-old company, formed a beverage division late in 1998, in preparation for Passover 1999, which began April 1.

"We got some supermarkets, but since it was late in the game, we thought we would sell 20,000 cases," said Gary Schlesinger, head of Rokeach's beverage division. Instead, they sold 80,000, with last-minute help from Concord Beverage, a bottler in Concordville, Pa., which has 19 plants. Demand increased due to Coke's failure to provide kosher-for-Passover 2-liter bottles.

The lack of kosher Coke in 2-liter bottles was still being talked about two weeks ago, when SN visited a ShopRite in East Windsor, N.J. Store manager Efraim Chase said his store is just on the New York distribution side, while a nearby competing Edwards Super Food Store got its Coke from Philadelphia and had the kosher 2-liter size.

"It was the first year in a long time that we had not done a 2-liter package. We have made plans to fix that next year," said Bob Lanz, vice president of public affairs for the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York.

Rokeach also introduced an iced tea, last Passover, which sold very well, Schlesinger told SN. Rokeach sold over 35,000 cases of its iced tea to the Wakefern Corp. warehouse in Elizabeth, N.J., he said.

"We're still selling it in some kosher stores, like the ShopRite on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn," Schlesinger said.

Its new beverage division sells all year to what Schlesinger calls the ultra-orthodox market.

Vintage Seltzer put its own work on hold to produce soft drinks for Rokeach, at its plant in nearby Elizabeth, and at another plant in Rhode Island. The Rokeach brand had the OU certification as well as that of Rabbi Yechiel Babad, whom Schlesinger said is well known in orthodox circles.

"Since Passover we started going to the ultra-orthodox markets, around New York City, and in Orange and Rockland counties in New York. We bought two trucks, and have a fleet of five on steady routes," he said.