Ale-8-One was selected to be a part of Road Trip Kentucky, a documentary highlighting unique businesses throughout the state. This film project is sponsored and produced by Innovations Branding House.

Innovations Branding House, a marketing firm in Paducah, KY, wanted to tell some of the untold stories of businesses, attractions and the people who make up the state of Kentucky.

“There are so many great stories of local, regional and national businesses based in Kentucky that many, even native Kentuckians, don’t really know much about, ourselves included,” said Todd Duff, CEO of Innovations Branding House. “So, in one of our brainstorming meetings, we decided to launch this project we call Road Trip Kentucky. We thought it’d be a great opportunity to learn more about some of these places, and then tell that story at the same time.”

“We knew right from the start we wanted to tell Ale-8’s story,” Duff explained. “They’re such an iconic Kentucky brand that has stood the test of time.”

Ale-8-One has been bottled in Winchester, KY since 1926. Its founder, G.L. Wainscott, began making sodas at the turn of the 20th century before coming up with the famous Ale-8 recipe. The original, handwritten recipe is still used to this day. Wainscott’s great-great-nephew and current Ale-8 CEO, Fielding Rogers, is one of a select few who has access to it.

Ale-8-One is Kentucky’s oldest and largest independent soft drink company.

Developed by G.L. Wainscott in 1926, Ale-8 has been a family owned and operated business ever since. Along with the famous Ale-8 and Diet Ale-8 sodas, the company also provides the ingredients for the Ale-8 suckers produced by the Ruth Hunt Candy Company, and Ale-8 salsa, all of which are Kentucky Proud products.

Tours of the Ale-8 factory are offered on Friday mornings, by appointment. To learn more about the company, visit ale8one.com.

“We’ve had the same flavor formula since 1926, the original “G.L. Wainscott derived” secret recipe,” said Rogers regarding the unique flavor profile of Ale-8. “We still use the handwritten notes, just scaled it up to a larger batch size.”

Rogers took over ownership after his father retired in 2009, naming Ellen McGeeney as the President of Operations. McGeeney was excited to come on board, sharing Rogers’ vision for the company moving forward, “I was just so excited. I have a bit of a marketing background, and if you’re at all interested in marketing, there’s not a cooler brand on the planet than Ale-8-One.”

That mission has paid dividends, as since the two have overseen operations at Ale-8, the company’s distribution has grown immensely. Most recently, the soft drink company secured a deal with retailer Kroger, and can now be found in over 800 of their locations throughout the midwest and southern United States.

The Innovations Branding House team is traveling the state of Kentucky to tell stories of successful businesses such as Heine Brothers’ Coffee of Louisville, and Starnes Barbecue of Paducah. Visit InnovationsBrandingHouse.com/RoadTripKY to join them on their Road Trip, and meet some of the great people and businesses that make the Commonwealth great.

Innovations Branding House is a marketing firm in Paducah which focuses on helping businesses take their brand to the next level.

Innovations began Road Trip Kentucky to highlight the businesses, attractions and people that display Kentucky’s success and pride.

Visit innovationsbrandinghouse.com to learn more about Road Trip Kentucky.