Today 7-Eleven, Inc. unveils Faygo Rock & Rye Slurpee, the second Slurpee flavor inspired by Faygo Beverages’, a Michigan-based soda company, most popular flavors. Joining the Faygo Redpop Slurpee introduced in March, Rock & Rye Slurpee beverages will be available at more than 300 7-Eleven locations across Michigan and Ohio in June.

“Thanks to the outpouring of suggestions from Faygo fans and our partners at 7-Eleven, Rock & Rye just got a lot cooler,” said Al Chittaro, executive vice president of Faygo Beverages, Inc.  “For over 100 years, it’s been Faygo’s pleasure to give the people what they want, and when Redpop Slurpee drinks were introduced, Faygo fans made it very clear that Rock & Rye was the overwhelming favorite to be the next Slurpee flavor.”

Based in Dallas, 7-Eleven introduced the Slurpee drink in 1966 and estimates that more than 13 million Slurpee drinks currently are sold every month in the U.S.  However, according to 7-Eleven, its stores in the greater Detroit area sell more Slurpee beverages than any other 7-Eleven market in the U.S., making this region an ideal location to bring together its most-loved frozen treat and two of the Midwest’s most iconic flavors.

“We want to bring our customers the local products they love and grew up with,” said Nancy Smith, 7-Eleven senior vice president of fresh foods and proprietary beverages. “Rock & Rye is a long-standing hometown favorite in Michigan and Ohio.  We saw our fans on social media telling us they wanted more, and we worked with the team at Faygo to give our Slurpee customers more of what they love.”

“7-Eleven is a national brand, but each of our stores and franchisees are part of their local communities.  Celebrating local favorites is part of being a neighborhood store,” said Smith.

Rock & Rye was introduced in 1924, a popular addition to the original soda flavors concocted over 100 years ago by Detroit-based Faygo Beverages, then known as Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works. Trained as bakers, Ben and Perry Feigenson applied their skill with frosting flavors to sweeten bottled soda water. They delivered their freshly made sodas to local residents from a horse-drawn carriage on the streets of Detroit.  The brothers are often credited with coining the term “pop” as a synonym for “soda,” based on the sound their bottles made when opened.

Combining Faygo’s Rock & Rye with 7-Eleven’s Slurpee drinks is the latest in a long tradition of mixing Faygo flavors with popular recipes served in Detroit-area eateries.  The list of Faygo-inspired creations includes cakes, cookies and ice cream, as well as glazes and sauces for beef and chicken, and even as a marinade for smoked turkey, sliced and served on submarine sandwiches.

“We are always impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm of our fans, especially on social media, and I’m sure they won’t let us down when we look online to see their excitement about Rock & Rye Slurpee drinks,” added Chittaro.  “Besides, there are still over 50 Faygo flavors in our repertoire, and we suspect they will not be shy about weighing in on which Slurpee flavor should become their future favorite.”

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