By Gary Symons
TLL Editor-in-Chief
Mimosas are on the menu in Milwaukee as Florida Natural ponied up 12,000 cartons of orange juice to make good on its World Series wager with Johnsonville.
Florida Natural shipped 20 pallets of its fresh orange juice after the Milwaukee Brewers won their historic first World Series title in Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Florida Natural had made a friendly bet with Wisconsin-based Johnsonville, the largest sausage producer in the United States. Had Johnsonville lost the bet, the company would have been shipping enough of its fan-favorite brats to Tampa for each of the city’s 413,554 residents.
The Brewers’ victory was all the more sweet — literally — as a portion of the OJ went on display Friday outside the city’s Italian Community Center, along the team’s celebratory parade route.
“We were looking forward to those brats, but since we have to pay up, we might as well make it juicy,” said Kelly Wade, director of marketing at Florida’s Natural. “We’re happy to be here to add a little Florida goodness to the festivities, and a dose of Vitamin C as well!
“It’s great to see this friendly rivalry play out with Wisconsin fans and families during a time they will remember for years to come,” Wade added. “Congratulations!”
The rival companies say fans can snag product and snap photos as the city rallies together to commemorate the historic win, sharing images on social media with the hashtag #SausageVsOJ.
Additional cases will be hand-delivered to local establishments for signature drinks and special toasts, as Johnsonville and Florida’s Natural representatives canvass the Third Ward to distribute cartons to fans.
The wager will also deliver a little extra good to the community, with multiple pallets of orange juice headed to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, the state’s largest hunger-relief organization.
“Florida’s Natural came through in a big way, and its mission of spreading goodness is fitting,” said Jamie Schmelzer, vice president of marketing at Johnsonville. “We’ve never received thousands of cartons of orange juice at once before, and we’re excited to get the juice directly into the hands of fans.
“No doubt a lot of that OJ is destined for mimosas and beermosas, but we’re thrilled that this payout is also giving back to families across the region,” Schmelzer added. “The juice was worth the squeeze, and our Head of Supply Chain is breathing a big sigh of relief right now.”
The friendly wager was struck in hilarious fashion when Johnsonville sent a fateful DM (direct message) to Florida’s Natural asking, “wanna bet?” Florida’s Natural didn’t even blink, saying it would put up “Enough OJ for 200,000 mimosas to Milwaukee if we lose.”
With Milwaukee clinching the win Wednesday evening, Florida’s Natural stepped up to deliver a taste of the Sunshine State to Wisconsin, getting a semitruck on the road in just hours.
Brewers fans gearing up for the celebration 44 years in the making can visit MLB.com to learn more about the Parade of Champions and Championship Rally.
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