Yoo-hoo

by Kat Kinsman, Posted Sep 25th 2007 @ 10:41AM

Even if I do absolutely nothing else of measurable value before I go to bed tonight, I'll consider it a productive day if I do just this one thing – bust some myths and misconceptions about Yoo-hoo.

* Yoo-hoo is not chocolate milk (though it does contain a small amount of non-fat dry milk), hence the now-retired tagline, "If only milk tasted this good."

* Yogi Berra never owned the company. He was, however, a longtime spokesperson. One highly sought-after piece of Yoo-hoo memorabilia is a cigarette lighter that plays his rendition of the jingle "It's Me He For Yoo-hoo" when the lever is flipped.

* It's not pronounced "yah-hoo", "yay-hoo", "yoo-hooz" or any other such permutation. It's pronounced "you who".

* Neither Coke nor Pepsi owns the company.

Some things I can tell you that are indeed true (impress your friends, neighbors, and loved ones!) are...

* Over the years, there have been Yoo-hoo ice pops, doughnuts, soft-from-the-freezer ice cream and candy bars on the market for various periods of time.

* A limited edition of Yoo-hoo "Mix-Ups" included Chocolate-Mint, Chocolate-Banana, Chocolate-Coconut, Chocolate-Strawberry, Chocolate-Cinnamon and Chocolate-Raspberry. Of those, the Chocolate-Banana remained on the market for many years after. Sadly, Chocolate-Peanut and Chocolate-Orange never made it out of the lab, but original Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Double Fudge, Dyna-Mocha, Cookies & Cream and Island Coconut have all been part of the roster at one time or another.

* Island Coconut Yoo-hoo didn't actually go out of production. It was repackaged under the name Koko Blanco, and only was produced one day a year until ... well, if you see any on the shelves (which you won't unless you're in the Greater Miami area), grab it. They're not gonna be making any more of it. And don't worry about the expiration date because ...

* Yoo-hoo doesn't have an expiration date. It's pasteurized in the can or bottle, and, so long as the container remains sealed, it won't go bad. Ingredients may separate a tad – hence the chocolatey sludge at the bottom of any vintage of bottle, but any true-blue 'Hoo-ligan knows you've just got to shake it up.

* Yoo-hoo was invented by Tru-Fruit beverages owner Natale Oliveri in New Jersey in the 1920s. He was a believer in natural ingredients, and didn't want to introduce a chocolate beverage to his line-up of fruit juices unless he could figure out a way to eliminate the possibility of spoilage without using chemicals or preservatives. He watched his wife preserve and can her homemade tomato sauce in the kitchen, and through trial and error, developed a process to keep his drink shelf-stable in the bottle.

Why this sudden outpouring of 'Hoo trivia? Well, 'cause I recently celebrated my 'Hoo-versary. From September 8^th, 2001 through 2006, I was immersed 24/7 in all things Yoo-hoo as the webmistress of Yoo-hoo's official company website. In that capacity, I had the wonderful, glorious fortune to travel around the country (as well as around the internet) talking with Yoo-hoo fans young, old, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, new , life-long, and everywhere in-between about the rich, chocolatey passion that united us. I came to understand how the innocent, offbeat appeal of a simple drink could bring a chocolate-splashed grin to the faces of devotes who'd taken their first sip of the stuff in the 1920s, and were now indoctrinating their great-grandchildren into the cult of life-long Yoo-hoo lovers.

There's a purity to Yoo-hoo -- a hearkening back to the childhood glee of guilt-free indulgence (and yes, there is a Yoo-hoo Lite with a fraction of the sugar and calories). It's sweet, easy-sipping, and thoroughly un-serious -- perfect with a PB&J or just cold from the fridge. I will, however, note that the most exquisite Yoo-hoo I've ever had was one drunk in the company of Dr. Yoo-hoo, himself, James Mastroberti -- keeper of the secret formula (it's in a safe in his office), and longtime grand poobah of all matters in the Flavor Lab. He'd spent a couple of hours leading me through the Yoo-hoo factory (Yes, Virginia , there is a Yoo-hoo factory, and it's in Carlstadt, New Jersey. There's another in Opelousas, Louisiana), from the brewing in of the top-secret formula (the components come in from different manufacturers and are then blended together and sifted into huge burlap sacks), to the filling of the cans.

At the point in the line where the cans of 'Hoo were cooling before being sealed up and pasteurized, Dr. Yoo-hoo grabbed one off the belt and handed it to me, still warm. He took one for himself, we toasted, and we drank. It was simply sublime -- a warm, almost caramel-sweet, smooth ribbon of chocolate flowing over my tongue, and just infusing my whole being with happiness. I looked over at Dr. Yoo-hoo. Though this was likely the ten thousandth or more time in his illustrious career that he'd tasted a Yoo-hoo, he was still smiling as if it were his first.

UPDATE - Dr. Yoo-hoo himself wrote in! See his comment!

Share your Yoo-hoo stories in the comments thread below and heck - grab a cold Yoo-hoo while you're at it. By the way, bottle may say drinkyoo-hoo.com, but yoo-hoo.com is the link that'll get you there.

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Filed Under: Guilty Pleasures, Drinks, Non-Alcoholic

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 23)

1-25-2008 @3:22PM Bama said... I LIVE ON THIS STUFF!
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1-25-2008 @3:38PM aharon said... im 17 & still love yoo hoo
& i rem. the coconut yoo hoo from when i was little it wasnt easy to find in TN stores but when we woud visit my aunt in VA they always had them available
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1-25-2008 @4:12PM Deb C. said... I'm 53 and still drinking this great drink. I've never seen the low sugar option, I would like to see the low sugar option in more stores in Upstate New York! Bring us the low fat/sugar version. I'm allergic to milk products and yoohoo is a great alternative to cho milk!
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1-25-2008 @4:51PM Michelle said... I craved YooHoo's my entire pregnancy. I remembered the taste from long ago and soon as I became pregnant I had one every omorning on the way to work!
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1-25-2008 @5:51PM Steve 1 OF 9 said... YOO HOO Won"t Make you boo hoo if you try it you won't denie it drink up buck
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1-25-2008 @8:04PM Sherry Myers said... Nestles either one)
1 1/2 c. nonfat dry milk
3 cups water.
Mix in blender 30 seconds.
Refrigerate till cool, much better after in fridge for awhile.
Yum yum.....enjoy!
Try it, you'll like it if you love YooHoo like me.

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1-26-2008 @5:01PM Donna said... Yoo-Hoo was always my favorite drink as a child and still is!!!
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1-26-2008 @9:32AM tasha said... i loved it as a child and still do just cant find the coconut any more, i know the name changed to koko blanco
but i cant find that now
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1-26-2008 @5:09PM Donna said... Yoo-Hoo was always my favorite drink as a child and now it is my daughters favorite drink as well. http://www.4peakssportsandentertainmentmemorabilia.com
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1-27-2008 @10:19PM Margaret Jo Frazier said... My son is now 30, and whenever he comes to visit, he always finds three 6 packs of Yoo-Hoos chilled and waiting for him. They are a necessary staple when he comes home!
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1-27-2008 @10:20PM kirk weaver said... I remember when I was a kid,playing golf with my dad,we always had a ice cold yoo-hoo after the round.I still drink yoo-hoo,but I wish I could try the coconut. I liked the mint a lot,and I wish it would make a comeback.Nothing better than an icey cold yoo-hoo.Sipped slow. Now I want one!
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1-27-2008 @10:27PM kirk weaver said... I am 53,and I have loved Yoo-Hoo since I was a little boy.Great cold after golf,or watching a game. The mint was awsome,but never tried coconut. I didn`t like the strawberry at all. I used to always have a few in my fridge. I need to do that again,because I still love the stuff..Ice cold..MMMMMMMMMMMM
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1-28-2008 @12:57AM Veronica said... Yoo-Hoo is an amazing drink. I buy one for each of my students once a year. They come in the big "tall boy" can, and as Marian stated above, I freeze them overnight and bring them out at around lunch time when they're not ice cold with just a little iciness to 'em. The kids can't believe how delicious it is!
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1-27-2008 @11:52PM GLENN said... MMMM an ice cold YOOHOO is always the ticket I have to say though in the can it has the best taste have tried all flavors and now that at 42 I am a dad I have got my 19 month old son and my wife who said she didn't like it (she only had it in a bottle) both simply adore it me I have drank it since I can remember my dad always used to take us out saltwater fishing and it was a must have on the boat I never got seasick either but my brother always used to there have been times when we couldn't find any on the shelves at our grocery store but as soon as it was there we'd get some hope this company stays in buisiness forever and being from New Jersey am glad something good came from there keep up the good work
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1-28-2008 @12:39AM Hojo said... as a high school kid in 1970 through 1974 in an unnamed Alabama, the only outside vending machine in town after about 8:00 p.m. was at a little service station that no longer exists. many nights after midnight a car load of kids (wanna be hippies) with a bad case case of the dry-mouth and munchies would completely empty that old, clunky vending machine. LONG LIVE YOO-HOO.
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1-28-2008 @4:13AM Tracy Cunningham said... Thanks for the article. It brought back memories. I can't remember specifics, but I can remember to introduce my daughter to Yoo-Hoo. Thanks again.

Love Tracy.
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1-28-2008 @5:02AM Theresa said... YOO HOO CHOCOLATE WAS MY FAVORITE DRINK FOR MANY YEARS AS A CHILD GROWING UP IN THE SOUTH. HOWEVER MYSELF AND MANY OF MY FRIENDS LOVED THE COCOANUT FLAVORED YOO HOO. FOR YEARS I HAVE HEARD THEM ASK IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE TO PURCHASE THE DRINK IN FORT LAUDERDALE? MAYBE MY FRIENDS AND I CAN HELP DISTRIBUTE IT IN FORT LAUDERDALE!
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1-28-2008 @5:25PM Chriss Broughton said... Although I love Nestle Quik, I love the unique flavor of Yoo-Hoo. There's something just different about it. The chocolate seems somehow lighter than other chocolate drinks. I was surprised to find that it has no expiration date. The only Yoo-Hoo we have ever seen in my part of the country is strawberry or chocolate. I have never seen any of the other flavors mentioned in the article.
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1-28-2008 @8:07PM Sam said... I LOVE yoohoo! It's really funny because my and my friends always fight over the pronunciation. Now I can tell them that "you who" IS correct! Thanks for publishing this article!

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1-28-2008 @10:34PM ANNEMARIE REGAN said... I LOVE YOO HOO, AND HAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN LOVING IT TOO. I HAVE BEEN DRINKING IT FOR OVER 50 YEARS, AND NEVER FOUND A DRINK THAT WAS SO YUMMY AS A BOTTLE OF YOO HOO. I HAD MY OWN CHILDREN DRINKING IT AS CHILDREN, AND NOW ITS PASSING DOWN TO THEIR CHILDREN, AS WHEN THEY COME TO MY HOUSE, ITS ALWAYS A YOO HOO, AND THEIR LITTLE EYES LIGHT UP WHEN THEY SEE ME GET IT OUT OF THE REFIGERATOR. NOTHING LIKE A COLD YOO HOO TO QUENCH YOUR THIRST.
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