Martinelli's sales were plummeting then a TikTok video revived the company
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Martinellis-apple-juice-having-moment-16552320.php
Martinellis first introduced the plastic version of its iconic glass apple-shaped bottle 15 years ago, but no one could have predicted that in 2020 it would become an overnight sensation when people started biting into them.
It wasnt the type of publicity that John Martinelli, chairman of the board at S. Martinelli & Company, ever dreamed of for the 153-year-old apple cider and juice company, but when celebrities like Lizzo caught wind of the trend and wanted to see whether chomping into it actually produced a distinct apple crunch, Martinellis seemed to be on the mind of everyone who wanted to debunk the myth for themselves. One by one, the TikTok crowd posed for videos where theyd take a sip of Martinellis apple juice, put the cap back on, and then bite into thick plastic.
What we're being told is that something like 500 million people either saw the video or contributed their own video, Martinelli said. We sold it for a whole bunch of years, and nothing ever happened until this. It's kind of funny because that was the first time I learned what an influencer was.
Martinelli admits the crisp sound was an accidental feature of the bottle. In fact, in its early development, he thought consumers might think it was a defect, but its actually a clever design intended to keep the juice at its freshest.
In our bottle, we have two layers of [plastic] with an oxygen barrier in between, Martinelli said. So, it's a three-part bottle and when you dent it, the oxygen barrier in the middle delaminates and it slides between the two hard plastic layers and makes it squeak. (But leave it to the internet to debunk that one, too).