Minute Maid created the first frozen concentrated orange juice sold under the Minute Maid brand.
The product grew from wartime food research conducted in the United States during the 1940s. Scientists developed a way to remove much of the water from orange juice while preserving its flavor, allowing the juice to be frozen, transported, and reconstituted at home.
The new concentrate was marketed under the Minute Maid name beginning in 1946. Its convenience helped transform orange juice from a product consumed mainly near citrus-growing regions into a widely distributed household beverage.
The Coca-Cola Company acquired Minute Maid in 1960, bringing the juice brand into its portfolio. Minute Maid is often confused with Simply, another Coca-Cola juice brand, but the historical frozen-concentrate breakthrough is associated with Minute Maid. The brand later expanded into lemonades, fruit drinks, and other juice products.