Let’s head back to January of 1974 when the grand opening was celebrated for the Pic-A-Pop plant on 104th Avenue in Surrey.
Owned and operated by Valley Distributors Ltd., Pic-A-Pop was introduced to B.C for the first time.
Starting three years earlier in Winnipeg as a family cash-and-carry bottling operation, Pic-A-Pop spread quickly across Canada and was about to enter the U.S. market.
The bottling plant in Surrey was to keep building costs to a minimum, thus reflecting the price of the product for the customer.
The prices were low because customers were to assist with the work. They filled their own case with a wide selection of flavours and wheeled them to the check out stand. Their $2 deposit on a case of bottles was fully refundable.
The product was available for sale at the plant as well as Fraser Valley Buckerfield’s locations, including Chisholm Street in Ladner.
The Pic-A-Pop brand lasted until the mid-1990’s and it was revived briefly in 2005. It has since been brought back again with a new owner.