This is Amy Wagenaar from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. Remember when you were a kid here in Michigan? That advertising slogan brings to mind Faygo soda pop. Faygo originated in Detroit. In 1907, Perry and Ben Feigensen, Jewish immigrants from Russia, started making grape fruit punch and strawberry pop in their house. At first the soda was sold under the Feigenson name, but in 1920, it started to appear as Faygo. The shortened form fit better on pop bottles. The Feigenson home was in Detroit's Jewish enclave and next to Black Bottom, where the city's African American populace lived. That proximity meant that many of Faygo's employees were African American. In 1920, the Feigansons built their first real factory. It stood just a few blocks from their house and could produce 75,000 bottles of pop every day. In 1935, the federal government seized the land to build high density housing. So Faygo moved to a former truck factory about two miles away. That neighborhood was mostly German and Italian, although increasing numbers of African American families moved there during the 1940s, Faygo continued to hire locally, so the workforce was a diverse group of races and religions. Faygo's workforce eventually unionized, but the first attempt at organizing the workers failed. A union representative told Perry Feigenson that he would have to fire his African American workers because the union would not accept them. Perry flatly refused. Faygo, he said, hires from the neighborhood around us, and that's how we're going to continue to hire whenever we can. Along the way, Faygo produced dozens of flavors. Some were standards like orange, strawberry and root beer. There were also some unusual ones, such as rhubarb pie and peach melon. Perry's and Ben's sons took over the business as the second generation of owners. It was during the time of their leadership in 1967 that whole sections of Detroit went up in flames. As the city erupted into the Detroit rebellion. Stores and businesses were burned and looted. The National Guard patrolled the streets through that difficult time. The Faygo factory remained undamaged. Do you have a favorite Faygo flavor? Red pop, Grape rockin rye, Vanilla cream soda. Today, Faygo is an enduring Michigan business. And still bottles pop in Detroit, close to where it all began in 1907. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by MichiganHistoryMagazine.org.