DETROIT --7-Eleven Inc. has unveiled the Faygo Rock & Rye Slurpee, the second Slurpee flavor inspired by Faygo Beverages Inc.’s most popular flavors. Joining the Faygo Redpop Slurpee introduced in March, Rock & Rye Slurpee beverages will be available at more than 300 7-Eleven locations across Michigan and Ohio in June.
“Thanks to the outpouring of suggestions from Faygo fans and our partners at 7-Eleven, Rock & Rye just got a lot cooler,” said Al Chittaro, executive vice president of Faygo Beverages. “For over 100 years, it’s been Faygo’s pleasure to give the people what they want, and when Redpop Slurpee drinks were introduced, Faygo fans made it very clear that Rock & Rye was the overwhelming favorite to be the next Slurpee flavor.”
7-Eleven estimates that its convenience stores sell more than 13 million Slurpee drinks every month in the United States; however, its stores in the greater Detroit area sell more Slurpee beverages than any other 7-Eleven U.S. market.
“We want to bring our customers the local products they love and grew up with,” said Nancy Smith, 7-Eleven senior vice president of fresh foods and proprietary beverages. “Rock & Rye is a longstanding hometown favorite in Michigan and Ohio. We saw our fans on social media telling us they wanted more, and we worked with the team at Faygo to give our Slurpee customers more of what they love.”
She continued, “7-Eleven is a national brand, but each of our stores and franchisees are part of their local communities. Celebrating local favorites is part of being a neighborhood store.”
Detroit-based Faygo Beverages—then known as Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works—introduced Rock & Rye in 1924, a popular addition to its original soda flavor lineup. Trained as bakers, Ben and Perry Feigenson applied their skill with frosting flavors to sweeten bottled soda water. They delivered their freshly made sodas to local residents from a horse-drawn carriage on the streets of Detroit. The brothers are often credited with coining the term “pop” as a synonym for “soda,” based on the sound their bottles made when opened.
Combining Faygo’s Rock & Rye with 7-Eleven’s Slurpee drinks is the latest in a long tradition of mixing Faygo flavors with popular recipes served in Detroit-area eateries. The list of Faygo-inspired creations includes cakes, cookies and ice cream, as well as glazes and sauces for beef and chicken, and even as a marinade for smoked turkey, sliced and served on submarine sandwiches.
“There are still over 50 Faygo flavors in our repertoire, and we suspect they will not be shy about weighing in on which Slurpee flavor should become their future favorite,” said Chittaro.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses nearly 10,500 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 55,800 7-Eleven c-stores in 16 countries. During 2013, 7-Eleven c-stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.5 billion.
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