LAST UPDATE | 28 Feb 2023
THE FAMILY OF Babycham’s inventor have regained ownership of the sparkling perry brand and plan to relaunch the drink 70 years after it first hit markets.
Originally known as ‘baby champ’, the drink was created by Francis Showering in Somerset, England before being launched in 1953.
It became the first alcoholic drink advertised on British television and went on to become massively popular in the 60s and 70s.
The slogan “I’d love a babycham!” was a common feature of the brand’s adverts which were primarily aimed at women and sought to promote a more ‘ladylike’ choice of alcohol.
The company was acquired by Accolade Wines in the 1990s, which continued to produce the drink until Showering’s descendants bought the Babycham brand back from them in 2021.
Francis Showering’s grandson, Matthew, told the Guardian:
“We will get closer to the original production method and recipe, as some things got chiselled away for speed with mass production.
“We are going towards the original look too, so we’ll have quite a retro feel which, oddly, will make it more modern,” Showering said.
The Babycham legacy means a lot to the family and is important to have back, said Showering. “It’s very special, as it almost defines our family. It changed everything.”
A 15-foot-tall model of the company’s mascot, the famous Babycham deer, was placed outside the company’s factory in Somerset and has been recently restored.
According to the beverage’s website, the Showerings once purchased three deer from a duke and allowed them to roam in their own grounds and, over time, the herd grew to roughly 24 deer.
In 1977, the company sold roughly 144 million bottles of Babycham, but as sales began to fall in the 1990s and 2000s, the beverage managed only 15 million sales in 2011, according to trade website The Drinks Business.
The Showerings are now reportedly planning a revamp of both Babycham glasses and bottles.
Babycham’s website currently sells only three items in its store, a 24-pack of the beverage and a hoodie or t-shirt with the word ‘Babycham’ in bold yellow lettering.
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