Born in Ballarat, Spencer Cottee moved with his parents to the New South Wales Northern Rivers area in the 1860s. He became a dairy farmer, was a director of Norco Co-op. Ltd for a number of years and played an important role in the establishment of overseas butter markets. He also founded an industry processing the milk product, casein. Then, in 1924, he invented Passiona, the passionfruit drink that was the foundation product of Cottee’s. By 1926, there were Passiona factories in Lismore and Sydney.

In 2027, Cottee issued a prospectus for Cottee’s Passiona Limited, stating the objectives of the company.

Mr. S. M. Cottee, of Lismore, has been experimenting for many years with passion fruit with the object of producing a drink that will prove delightful to every palate. Her has produced a juice from passion fruit with all the full subtle flavour of the fruit itself and without seeds and pulp….

The process by which the juice is extracted will be acquired by the Company, together with the registered trade mark “Passiona”.

The Company will extend the production of “Passiona” for not only Australian markets, but also oversea markets, the largest of which – America – offers a magnificent field for “Passiona” juice. In addition to the juice, there is also being produced from what would otherwise be waste pulp a delicious passion fruit dessert…

While Passiona went from strength to strength, the seasonality of the passionfruit crop presented challenges to the business. In the 1930s, the peanut industry was developing rapidly in south-east Queensland and Cottee’s expanded into peanut butter. Further spreads followed. By 1939, the company’s range included Fruit Spread, Peanut Spread, Passionfruit Spread and Lemon Butter. For these products, the Passiona name was dropped, with the brand becoming simply Cottee’s.

Spencer’s son, Harold, became the driving force behind the growth of the food and beverage group. In 1940, a new factory was built in Leichardt, Sydney, and the company’s expansion into the jam market continued. Jellies, cordials, jams and toppings were added to the range, with one of Cottee’s most famous brands, Lime Coola, registered in 1950. Alongside Passiona and the orange-flavoured Tango, Lime Coola became a popular fizzy drink, cordial and jelly flavour.

In 1966, Cottee’s was taken over by (ostensibly merged with) the USA-based food company, General Foods, then sold to Cadbury-Schweppes in 1984. Schweppes sold the jam business in 2008 in a deal that saw Heinz acquire the Cottee’s, Rose’s and Monbulk jam brands. The following year, Schweppes Australia was acquired by the Japanese Asahi Breweries.  As a result, Cottee’s in Australia has two overseas owners: the American Kraft Heinz company produces the jams, toppings and instant puddings, while Asahi holds the licence for the cordials and drinks.

A famous Cottee’s television commercial in the mid-1980s featured children singing “My dad picks the fruit, that goes to Cottee’s to make the cordial that I like best.” Many of their cordials do still contain reconstituted fruit juices. But not Lime Coola, now rebranded as Coola (Lime Flavour).  It may still be an Australian favourite, but don’t read the label, unless you want a glass of: Water, Sugar, Food Acid (Citric Acid), Flavours, Preservatives (Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulphite), Thickener (Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose), Natural Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides), and Colours (Tartrazine, Brilliant Blue).