Prohibition Sparks a Local Grape Boom
With Washington going dry, local juice producers struggle to keep up with the sudden surge in demand for non-alcoholic refreshments.
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According to M. H. Church of the Church Mfg. company, the effects of the state’s going dry are already noticeable in his business. Orders for Church’s Grape Juice and other soft drinks manufactured by the local concern have been coming in fast and furious since the first of the year. 'Of course I expected that Prohibition would to some extent increase the consumption of our product, but I had no idea that we would notice the difference this early in the year,' said Mr. Church. The increase is mostly new business, with orders coming from former beer run places which will continue business as soft drink parlors. From one big new prohibition bar in Portland an initial order for 100 cases of Grape Juice was received. Orders have also been received from Salem and other Willamette Valley towns. The big worry of the local company now is how to meet the increasing demand for grape juice. Locally there has been little, if any, increase in acreage, and a shortage of raw material is looming big. Unless local farmers can be induced to plant vineyards, Mr. Church will probably undertake plans for a company vineyard.
“Of course I expected that Prohibition would to some extent increase the consumption of our product, but I had no idea that we would notice the difference this early in the year.”
This article highlights the immediate economic pivot in Kennewick as the state transitioned to Prohibition in 1916. It is a striking example of 'adaptation' where businesses like the Church Mfg. Company transformed their supply chains overnight to meet new social and legal standards, a common theme in the region's agricultural-industrial history.
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