Flowing along merrily
Ask any old timer from Cairns and they’ll tell you the world’s best soft drink used to be made right here by Frank and Mary (left) Hanush.
ASK any old timer from Cairns and they’ll tell you the world’s best soft drink used to be made right here by Frank and Mary Hanush.
Czech-born Frank Hanush got his start as a cordial maker at the Babinda Hotel and made his own cordials in the family kitchen before establishing a factory in 1926.
World War II gave the company a major boost.
As suppliers to the armed forces, Hanush’s had to upgrade their machinery and overcome shortages of labour and sugar to keep up with the demand. Frank and Mary went door to door buying fruit from local gardens to ensure ongoing production.
Hanush’s became one of the biggest companies in Cairns.
At its peak, they were producing more than 14,400 bottles of soft drink per hour.
They introduced aluminium cans, vending machines, had their own sales reps and a fleet of vehicles.
Their products were distributed across the Atherton Tableland, Cape York, the Gulf and even Papua New Guinea.
Recipes for flavours were a closely guarded secret and Hanush’s claimed their range of 18 flavours was the biggest in Australia. Tropical flavours like lime, pineapple and passionfruit featured, as well as their famous Horehound Beer and GF, its label advising, “a grapefruit drink of outstanding flavour – try it with gin, it’s scrumptious!”