Author Archives: tom

LEMON BLENND PRODUCTION HALTED !!

Welcome to the new History of Lemon Blennd site.  Lemon Blennd is the iconic concentrated drink once produced by the Reymers Candy Company of Pittsburgh Pa.  Later produced by HJ Heinz, and still available from Bymes & Kiefer of Pittsburgh.  But few people know where Blennd orginated,  At Keagy’s Pharmacy at 2823 Perrysville Avenue on […]

In 1960 and 1961, the H.J. Heinz Company acquired the assets of Reymer & Bros., Inc. and Hachmeister, Inc. StarKist Foods was acquired in 1963 and Ore-Ida Foods, Inc. in 1965. Around this time and during the 25 years that H.J. Heinz II was chief executive, the food industry changed greatly. The era was marked […]

The Fullerton Calironia airport gained world-wide attention in 1949 when two flight instructors – Dick Riedel and Bill Barris – flew the “Sunkist Lady” to a world endurance flight record of 42 days. Also in 1948 and 1949 Reymers Blennd was moving west. Edwin Keagy, now in his 80’s wanted to take Blennd West and […]

There was an ongoing relationship between Thomas L Hartman, EJW Keagy and HM Young dating back to at least 1931 prior to the Reymers agreement with EJW Keagy of 1932, Hartmand plan to apply for a patent on said device For financial assistance Hartman grants one third interest to Keagy and one third interest to […]

By 1932, the once powerful Reymer Brothers Candy Company found itself struggling amid the Great Depression. In fact some reports indicate the longtime confectioner was losing as much as $200,000. dollars a year. A hefty sum in the 1930’s. The Company Headquarters at 1425 Forbes Avenue was a giant facility on the Pittsburgh Bluff that […]

In July 1941, Reymers WCH writes EJW Keagy about his excitment over a “Home Sized Bottle” He describes it “like the tail of the dog that wagged the dog, instead of the dog wagging the tail” “We havent scratched the surface.” He tells Keagy “We can more than double the business by the first week […]

In October 1932 just weeks after the production and distribution agreement was signed between EW Keagy and Reymer Brothers< H.M. Young wrote Keagy about expansion and disribution efforts in the State of Florida. Young expresses an uunwillingness by dealers in the Jacksonville area to take on the product because it was too late in the […]

On August 31, 1937 a hearing was held between Reymer Brothers and the Chief of the of the Buffalo Station of the Food and Drug Administration of the United States regarding the interstate sale of “Lem-N-Blennd” During an informal hearing T.F Pappe had on his desk a number of other product purporting to be fruit […]

Between 1928 and 1932 Edwin Keagy aquire a small group of investors in order to raise capital to expand the reach of Lem-n-Blennd.  While the original patent was aquired in 1914, by 1928 Keagy knew he had a drink that people wanted.  He sold shares in his Lem-n-Blennd Company at 10-dollars a share with a […]

Prior to Edwin Keagy’s decision to enter into a production and distribution agreement with Reymers & Brothers Candy of Pittsburgh, it was unclear whether it could even be done.  Mass Production of Lem-n-Blennd would require new factory floor equipment.  Keagy’s unwillingness to give up the entire Lem-n-Blennd formula only complicated this undertaking.  indicated by the first  drawing […]

Edwin JW Keagy Born (2-3-1871) in Woodbury Pa. Married (9-16-1897) to Margaret M Kasberger of Pittsburgh. (Died 1961 in Pittsburgh) Edwin studied Pharmacy at Philadelphia Pa with Harry O Keagy. Established Keagy’s Lemon Blennd which was sold in several states between 1914 and 1932 before he reached a distibution and production agreement with the Reymers […]

Now home to “A Child Shall Lead” Daycare. Once the home of Keagy’s Pharmacy and the birthplace of Pittsburgh’s Iconic Lem-N-Blennd