 Hey, welcome to the next episode of Living Pittsburgh where we are bringing you unique people places and businesses from in and around Pittsburgh To you to introduce you and today we have veto from the Neutrona bottling company veto say hi to everyone Hola. Hello Welcome and like we like to start all of our shows. Let's let's do a little bit of the Living Pittsburgh give back so let's bring that up and And veto if you're not familiar What we do is we pick a charity every week and we give up to a hundred dollars It's all based on whether you get the answers right or not So this week we are going to support the young woman's breast cancer awareness foundation Which is a local nonprofit helping young women with with breast cancer Okay, so here's the rules we're going to show you five pictures They're all local Pittsburgh pictures and that's one of the cool things about this is as we're trying to educate people On different places in town that they can go visit For every picture that you get right you're in a we will donate on your behalf 20 dollars to this nonprofit And i'll match it And you're matching it people. This is this is terrific And by the way, if you're out there online watching us right now, please hit the like button It helps the algorithm show it to more people if you're on youtube, please subscribe And if you do want to join the show and maybe ask the sultan of soda a question Feel free to type it in the chat and we will see that and bring that up on the screen for everyone to take a look at Okay, veto. Are you ready? always All right first picture This is uh one of the architectural gems in and around Pittsburgh definitely something that you need to go see When you're visiting town, how did you know this? Well, I my mother used to take me down to oakland when I was a kid like One sunday two sundays out of the month and we go to the pittsburgh playhouse And then we go walk around oak in oakland and whatnot But uh the cathedral learning is it really is an awesome building and it's the tallest Building on a campus in america Wow That's pretty good. It's a lot food for a lot. It's pretty amazing Okay, how about this this room madras factory? Uh, no, no, no You uh, any world There you go Vicki's on Vicki's calling you out that you went to pick I did I I I yeah Okay, so so you've got one of two, right? We've got uh 20 bucks going to them right now plus your match. That's 40 All right, how about this place? Seven springs. Yeah, you got it I think a lot of people that think about pittsburgh don't really think about us as a skiing destination and They might be surprised that here locally. We've got three terrific hills within an hour of the city Uh, we've got seven springs resort, which you're seeing here and it has a half bike if you can believe it Um, so you can it actually has a a pretty decent park Uh for snowboarders all together You know, it's not Aspen or the west and so on and so forth, but at the end of the day Uh, it is extremely convenient. Uh, I was in line. I was there a couple weeks ago And I was talking to somebody they were from Baltimore and So people travel Significant distances significant being three four hours to come to seven springs Uh, so I agree. Yeah It's a great hill Okay, let's wait. Hold on. I want to send a shout out to bill. He's giving you some love there. Vito. Thank you bill Yeah from the frailies and zella ziggler They're online watching you right now. Is that my old doctor? Oh Kind of things he can post. That's right. I think it is That's great. Okay. How about this place? It's tough Uh I'll give you some hints. It's got a is there about high limit No, no, you can make a call you have a somebody you can call and help you on anybody That there is somebody out there on facebook that actually got married here it sounds. Yeah, they know that one Man They might have to help you out And and bill is your old doctor just to Zello was great Yeah, zello she was my she was my uh My hematologist and she was just the sweetheart. I I thoroughly miss her. That's great um I'm gonna say a high up out Oh It's it is close. Um, this is mcconnell middle state park and what's been there. Oh, it's worth it It's only about 45 minutes outside of town Um It's got a path on both so this creek or river. It's on both sides of it It's got a walking path that you can walk around. So it's a nice real big loop Um, it is not stroller friendly. So if you have young kids in a stroller, uh michelle and I Made that mistake. Um, quite the backpacks work though. Baby backpacks absolutely work. Yeah Hey erin and debbie, how are you guys? All right Oh, how about this one? Uh ppg plaza There you go. It's the ice rink at ppg place. This is another what I think Is is a gem of pittsburgh if you have not gone down here during the holidays And taken your kids or your significant other to go ice skating you're missing out Um and at night it's just gorgeous the the buildings are lit up the tree in the center is just you know over the top It's well worth, you know, it's well worth the look Definitely All right, so we got to what was that three of the was a three of the there's one more, right? Or is that the last one that's the last one? Oh, wow so So we've got 60 dollars going and then with your match it's 120 dollars to the foundation Uh, which i'm sure that they'll put to good use So thank you veto for that And let's um, let's go back here And can you why don't you talk to us a little bit? Is there one more? Is there one more? Let me see I thought there was five Me you're shouting us out on four I gotta make one up on the spot I thought I did five but here hold on. Let's let's Don't give me that one. Yeah, give me that one That one I don't know that one. You don't know that one. No, does anybody else out there know this one? Never seen that place before in my life. I mean the name's right on top. So but Oh god This is great Yeah, we gotta go. So for those of you that don't know, uh, there is a restaurant down in, um, Shadyside They're no not Shadyside. That's the wrong. Is that the right? No Shadyside. Yeah, Shadyside. Thank you. Sorry Uh, that michelle and I actually love going to it's called Jarosol. It is actually veto and his family his dad, um Own and run that First off I don't know how to explain it. It is Just fabulous food the atmosphere pre-covid. I haven't been down there since COVID but pre-covid was just terrific You're you're kind of in this, um, it's almost like a family style sitting you get your own tables But you're it's kind of it's close quarters, right and the noise level is a little bit louder But it's fun and energizing I just love Love love, uh, this this place and one time on a complete win my my wife and I on our university went down Uh, because this is one of our favorite restaurants. We went down there to go and eat and he had it blocked off Michelle, what was the the show? Uh, so feel the rent It was sold out and we showed up on our anniversary. He let us in just like family I mean, he didn't know us and we had the time of our life He played all these clips with so feel around and it was like I swear It was like a 15 course meal and it was just so much fun. Uh, yeah, we were sold at that point We love that restaurant. Um, very good. It's it is a uh gem uh Jaris Holy is You know with my home for 18 years of my life um started there when I was 18 and uh I mean I lived there. Uh, I missed my daughter's childhood but at the end of the day I supported my family and it's I created a lot of relationships and um, you know, we have a lot of repeat customers and uh, you know, Jaris Holy has You know really withstood the test of time in some ways. I mean we're 21 years old now and That goes a long way for a restaurant in these days and we um Thorin COVID, I mean everyone's businesses slowed down and We were very fortunate that we have a an extremely strong loyal clientele that Really helped us Hold things together You know, everybody hurts. Thorin COVID is definitely in the restaurant industry. I don't think there was a uh, another industry that I'm sure there was but The restaurant industry service industries got killed Thorin COVID and they're still dealing with it. But uh We were very lucky and uh, we still are to this day and my father there it holds court uh daily and these 83 he'll be 83 on the eyes of arch and he throws a party For himself and whoever's there every single night. So if you guys like to have a great time It's go down and see pi and uh Get ready for something that Just isn't there anymore You know, yeah, but he's an old school doorman uh, that you'd find in the 60s 70s that You know, we'll always make you feel comfortable and he'll make you laugh and Become your friend The thing I'll go ahead and shop. Well, that's kind of how we felt when we first met you because let me back up We met you at Jarrah souls and we were entertaining some new clients They had come in from out of state and I made them a Pittsburgh basket This is before I even knew you and it was filled with in the turn of pop and turn of bottling And you walked by you say, I know that pop and I said, oh you do is my favorite And you're like, yeah, I own the company. So and from that day on I mean it's been great knowing you You've been so much fun to get to know but That's how I've looked at pittsburgh is with your with your brand I yeah Oh, go ahead. Good. Please. Please martin. I was just gonna say I think that that is a nice Trans you know a nice transition into your company. I I've always wondered How a guy from pittsburgh finds another small little business If I remember right was started in 1904 the natrona bottling company I would love to understand how you came about buying that business how you got it You know what the history is. Can you just share that? um, so I Like I said earlier. I I've lived at my family's restaurant And My mother came to me one day and said do you want to sell soda pop and I laughed in her face because it I don't mean to sound pretentious, but at the time I was studying to To be in the restaurant industry the the rest of my life. I was traveling Taking different classes on wine food coffee and uh, really That was the direction that I was gonna go I I had great love for the restaurant industry and still do But she asked me again and I came down here And realized it was only 20 minutes away from my home and it just Walked through the door Uh was watching the bottles be run the clinking and the clanking Tasted the product. It was a very finely made product and uh You know, I said, okay, I could um I could hustle this on the side Make a couple extra bucks throw it in my pocket Do something with it, whatever it may be and uh, it just started to I started to engulf myself in in the business um I knew nothing about production knew nothing about shipping and receiving um Nothing about like they they still have all these different terms for moving product from here to there that You know, I I think I get it now, but regardless I I do understand it um But at the end of the day It just It was a well-made product and uh found a cooler up in the uh in the attic and Just an old fifties vintage like uh carrying case cooler And stuffed it full of pop And I started walking the streets uh and I remember the the first week I did that I had 70 I sold 70 cases of pop And I was ecstatic. Um It was Exuberating really, you know, I had no idea what I was doing But I I'm good in front of people and I was able to just tell a story and and That's what I've been doing this whole time, you know, we We are an old school soda bottling company, you know, we make and bottle all our own products We use only cane sugar and we carbonate with dry ice instead of a manufactured co or a manufactured CO2 So what you get is a smooth tiny crisp more pleasant refreshing balanced bubble and You know, we are the last company in the country That uses that style of carbonation. I believe I have yet to find one so I always throw out there that I believe because I I don't want to claim something that's not true, but In 10 years or 11 years now. I I have yet to find anybody that is using the dry ice to carbonate their beverages Um, we use the same machinery that we've been using for over 70 years 80 years now And I can proudly say that we are One of maybe 15 left in the country that make and bottle our products In the form of fashion and manner in which we do which gives you a true old school American soda pop For the people watching I don't I don't know folks understand how important that is what you just said there One of how many seven or 15? 15 15 Yeah, there's more nfl football coaches in the country. I believe then there are Businesses like mine. Yeah Like michelle and I think that as as more consumerism happens as people are getting things from, you know China imports and just cheaply made stuff That there needs to be a swing back to quality and that's what you're offering is something that's unique You're not going to find this over in cleveland. You're not going to find this in philly, right? Unless you're shipping there through a distributor It's coming from pittsburgh and that is what is making our city so special. It's guys like you So we we just appreciate it a lot I wanted to ask a little bit and find out more about some of the brands that you you have in house So, um, let me see if I pull it up Uh, if I remember right, you have three kind of main Brands right to talk to me about what each one is and where you sell them So our our first product was red ribbon cherry We've been making red ribbon cherry for 116 years And is quite simply the best cherry soda you can get Tastes like cherry smells like cherry It it almost has like a a maraschino cherry juice type of flavor going on. It does. That's a great way to describe it it totally yeah, and it is You know, I I don't drink a lot of it because I have 16 different products and If I drank only cherry, I'd be a thousand pounds and I I did gain 20 some pounds over coven. So Um, I can't drink a ton of it. But at the end of the day We do make the best cherry pop you can get and we've been making this for 116 years So When I came in, um in 2010 There was they made we It's like nine products that were being made obviously cherry being one of them And uh, jamaica's finest ginger beer Hey leon. Thank you for the shout out to veto Thank you leon Uh jamaica's finest ginger beer being another now Uh I knew nothing about ginger beer never heard of it. I don't think many people heard about it in 2010 um I was astonished because I like ginger ginger is great And I opened it up. I was like, oh, this is nice. It bites you Tastes like fresh ginger. It's different than a ginger ale Uh, which everybody is used to so I uh You know just in the back. We ate root beer. We made the pennsylvania punch great um I would like to the station style manjulup. I was going to point out the um the birch beer, which you know, I never had a birch beer before Uh that that flavor is amazing. I actually created that product or that was one of the ones that we didn't make um When we started In fact, the first two products that I created with my assistant Mary jane were The vanilla cream and the almond cream soda Uh, which the almond cream soda is a one-of-a-kind product and is quite simply It's delicious. It tastes like an almond tort in a glass bottle um so you know fast forward three years from 2010 and uh Moscow meals really start to become popular again and everybody's searching out of ginger beer and my ties through the restaurant industry Really helped me getting um The information out there that we make One of the best ginger beers you can get Uh, so in the state store now Uh, correct What's what's funny about the ginger beer Is that I don't know if it's funny, but really without this product. We wouldn't be here today um If it wasn't for jamaica's finest Uh I probably wouldn't have been able to to to stick through Um, you mean uh, no through the fourth year Wow, um it Because of the quality of this product because of the success of this product it really inhibited me to uh Grow the other the other products as well. So as this product got busier Everything else carried behind it At the same at the same rate But this product was in You know restaurants bars coffee shops. You're turning over You know A lot more than if you're just selling A jerry pot because you're making cocktails with this so um, you know This product really was The life saving it was. I mean it's you know, we were We'd move a ton of of ginger beer So if you could um If you could come up with any new flavor that you wanted to Why you smile on the show Let her answer the question If you could make it because like marty said, what would you what would you make if you could make anything Any flavor you want Well, there's With covet I should have You'd think that I would have like dug in and started just like messing around with products and started creating flavors, but I I actually planted myself in the facility and Just really updated Everything that we were doing still staying true to our name still using the same machinery So on and so forth, but as we grow I there were a lot of things That needed to be accomplished in the house and because I was always out on the street I I wasn't able to really throw myself at it um So cope has been good to me in that way But how do you come up with the flavors anyway? Like you do it at home Do you know I just do you have an idea like uh The peach Like a chemistry set like that's how I imagine it being you get your glasses I'm not I mean we're old school so we do it the old school way, you know I mean, there's there's no chemistry sets involved. We use beakers. So you want to call that chemistry? I mean, yeah chemistry, but You know I I never was good in science um, but uh Hey, Stacey Is a is a great example of just an idea so Harding and Sons was a is a tea company that Uh, we used to get our teas for at the restaurant And they had a peach tea a peach ginger tea. I was like, oh, it's great. It was a wonderful tea I should make a peach ginger beer There it is You know, I mean You made it through the decision Decision tree pretty quickly there, right like the team focus on this you decided Listen, I'm the most add person there is in the world. So things are throwing through my head I mean speeds of thousands miles per hour So Oh, no, I'm not that sophisticated, but there's a lot of information in there. Um New flavors, uh, I really want to get a diet cola out. I actually have The formula made up But because of the viscosity of the syrup because it's a it's not going to be a diet. It's going to be a low calorie the way it Our products are made and the syrup flows through the machine. It's not viscous enough So, um you know Other than that I started messing around with a pineapple cream, which hasn't really Turned out the way I wanted it to Uh, a cherry cola is probably in the mix sometimes here sometime here in the future uh, haven't started with that yet, but I think it's inevitable That we have a cherry cola So, uh Yeah, I mean another one is uh, there's an old product out there It's not out there anymore. It was called four percent It was a grapefruit lemon lime soda I remember the 5051 and that's what they make eyeballs out of right? Correct. Yeah I think veto may have frozen here Kind of frozen Vito, I don't know if you can hear us, uh, but I think your internet. Oh, he there you are. You're back Mainly because of the mixing line of products, uh, you know, it's very good it I think it would fit very well in there And then you also grabbed the nostalgia factor out off of it as well Uh, as it was an old school product Well, I think the nostalgia factor is huge. I mean if you look at this comment from bill He's talking about you know how when he was eight years old His dad would be looking everywhere for ginger beer to create a Moscow mule right in here We have it right over the hill from us, right? It's literally in Being being created in natrona a lot of people go. Why do you why is it called Jamaica's finest? um It's a great question the the gentleman who created it Uh ginger's a A very large byproduct of of Jamaica so You know, I've had people scoff at me because it's called Jamaica's finest and it's made in Pittsburgh. I think it's kind of funny Um, but at the end of the day culture Yeah culture to the bird in fact ironically I've had quite a number of Jamaicans Say that my ginger beer is the best ginger beer they've had in the states Never better than the ones in Jamaica but in the states uh, we So they say Well, this is Go ahead. Oh go ahead. I wasn't sure what you're reaching for You're reaching for my favorite This is actually no, this isn't the one you're thinking although we do make a great seltzer michelle because of our pinpoint carbonation, but There was an old product called Tom Tucker's Minchin Jarrell that started in the I want to say mid 30s late 30s by a man of sit by a man in the name of Sydney Harris and He built this company up guy with a top hat was his uh his emblem and uh, he sold off the company in Late 60s sold his stake out and got very bored And came to work with us so he brought along a variation of Tom Tucker's Minchin Jarrell to us, but because he just left his company, you know, it wouldn't look too well if he was The company that he's working for started making a Minchin Jarrell so we started making a product called the julep And that's the one that's colored green A couple years ago. I took the color out of it and we've created red ridden Minchin Jarrell now the It's for some reason and if any of your viewers can tell me because I still have yet to find out why Tom Tucker's Minchin Jarrell was a heavily Consumed during the holiday season Um, I do not know the answer as to why You're talking like like eggnog is a kind of a christmasy thing you Now this is in the Pittsburgh region in the tri-state area for the most part But does anybody know why we drank mint pop during christmas time in Pittsburgh? Tom Tucker's Minchin Jarrell Tom Tucker's Minchin Jarrell Okay, and it was during the the december holiday time frame. Is that the November december. Yes, November december Yeah, well if anybody out there knows that please let us know What's what's what's funny is they stopped making Tom Tucker's A year ago year and a half ago Um, it was a bastardized version of what it originally was it came in a two-liter bottle And it was made with high fructose corn syrup so on and so forth The amount calls Oh, wait, we've got somebody who said that the reason why is they used to season their ham with it They're all kinds of different uses I mean I had a guy buy five cases of this the other day Because his wife's pregnant and it helps her it settles her stomach Wow, all right So This is this product in the holiday season went berserker And um It's a delicious product It is now sold in a giant old market district in the mixer section And a lot of other small retailers around the area but Mix it with bourbon or white rum I'm telling you it makes it makes a wonderful Mention up in a wonderful Mojito without doing all the all the stuff Just add a liquor and this and maybe some mint leaves and that's it. Yeah, I love I'm in jewel up. That's one of my favorites um So tell I guess, you know, we can kind of wrap up a little bit Is there anything else you want to make people aware of maybe where they can buy uh the soda? giant eagle giant eagle market district um Grand paul joe's candy shop Yeah, labriolas Woolies east end food co-op Uh Lots of our community market is another one shop at saves lots of uh coffee shops bars restaurants As they continue to distributors carry it too, right many beer distributors will be carrying our products as well I think actually that's kind of important. So I mean, I always think of you as a retail brand, right? I go to giant eagle I pick up a case or a couple bottles take them home But I think a few times I've heard you say One of your big sales channels is actually through local restaurants and bars So if we have people out there that own a restaurant, um or a bar and we like to do this How would they how would they set up an account with you? How does that work? Give us a call Send us an email give us a call and um, you know Um I'm relationship driven. So, you know, we'll talk make it work and We'll get the pop to you. I have the distribution channels to to get it into their hands. Um, But it really is a great table side beverage for a restaurant And we obviously we make bar mixers We make a high our our bar mixers are high quality. I mean, they're they're very well made so, uh, you know Put it behind the bar make simple easy delicious cocktails with it Is this your mom? Is this your mom veto? Who's vicki? That's my wife. That's your wife. Okay I just thought maybe your mom giving you Your wife is more important for sure I love it Thank you so much for your time veto. We can't wait to see you driving around your saltless soda bus I see. I hear you've got another one too. You got a white one and a green one now We have well the green one that's you know, 64 65 conaline super van which is in the garage right now and then I Is the heavens would have it? um A the conalines the early edition of conalines were were made in vans and in pickups So the front ends of them are the same. They have a flat front end It's kind of a funny-looking vehicle, but it is Very different. You don't see them out there at all No, because you have the pickup version, right? Well, no, I have the van is the one I've I've had for quite some time The pickup is the one that fell into my lap and it I've made it into a bar. It's a mobile bar. So, you know weddings outdoor events where you have gatherings of people that you know, they'd like to hire a bartender or a you know, just take the entertainment value as far as the alcohol goes out of their hands let them enjoy themselves We'll roll up in this awesome 1961 conaline with a bar Okay, and we'll make and pour all the drinks I love that. That's what I want. I want something like that when I grow up. I'm going to show you a meal that's cool well Actually for for folks that come to Living Pittsburgh events You know, I want to throw it out there to the world, Bito I think we're going to bring your your truck to our next event have you set up. It'll be wonderful I think this is uh, you know phenomenal idea. It's actually something. I didn't know you did So, you know, I learned quite a bit just in the last few minutes here I I haven't done an event now in a year and a half basically I don't know if I remember how to do them. I'll be honest with you. It's been so long Well, if you can open a pop soda can I think we're okay Before we jump off so we can clarify, um, is luceo is that your Lucho Lucho is my son Son it's lucho talking not vicki. So he wants to throw out some love just so you know I love my little man. He is the best. He just got his hair cut and he got it into a mohawk I'd love to see a picture of that. Uh, he's he's a sweet the sweetest little boy. My daughter is Just as awesome. She's 15. I love her to death too You know, uh, I'm really lucky Uh, to have my wife and just the support system that I have around me, you know, she's She I'm here till four in the morning five in the morning sometimes at least twice a week doing work in the house and uh, she's uh It's hard to be in small business people don't realize there's a lot of a lot of it for myself, you know, yeah A lot of sacrifice and we really appreciate it Thank you. We love your pop or should I say salt soda? And uh, we love you as a human and we want pittsburgh dot to really get to know you soda pop soda pop It straddles that line. It does right? He goes both ways. We all know it's pop, but we gotta throw a bone at people that like soda too Well, thank you. You know very much uh for being on the show for those of us for those of you that follow us Uh, we this show comes to you every thursday night at 8 15 p.m. Eastern Uh across facebook and youtube next week. We're gonna have another unique, uh, pittsburgh business called calamity wear Which uh started with a guy drawing on one of those blue plates all of us get from our grandparents Uh drew a dragon on it and thought man, this is pretty cool And if you can believe it, uh is now a pretty successful and growing business here in pittsburgh, uh that that Put stuff on on porcelain. So I think it's pretty cool. We're going to be interviewing the next week We hope you join us. Thank you guys. Thanks everyone for for watching if you like The broadcast please smash that like and subscribe button. It means the world to us And it helps that facebook algorithm promote the show more. Thank you so much. Have a great night. Thank you everyone. Bye. Thank you