Grapette International is part of the original Grapette Company founded in Camden, Arkansas in 1939 that grew to national prominence with its flagship Grapette grape soda.

To capitalize on the domestic success of Grapette, international businessman R. Paul May persuaded Grapette founder Tyndle Fooks to develop The Grapette Export Company in 1942. May had already conducted business in Latin America, and sold his first Grapette franchise in Guatemala City in 1945. Other Grapette franchises soon followed in Central and South America.

In 1962, the Grapette Export Company became known as Grapette International under the direction of May, and was created to produce drinks to be enjoyed globally through franchise bottlers located around the world. In the 1970s the parent Grapette Company was acquired by a competing soft drink company and the Grapette brand slowly diminished in the United States. Grapette International continued as a separate entity, selling Grapette and other flavors overseas.

Around that time, May's son-in-law, Brooks T. Rice, took over the business, further expanding the sales of Grapette around the world. Grapette International began marketing some of its original formulas as the flavors for many private label and regionally-branded soft drinks in the United States. The company also diversified its core offering of products and services.

No longer just a manufacturer of soft drink concentrates, Grapette International makes flavors for a variety of applications, and offers a host of custom dry blending and packaging capabilities through its Packette packaging division.

In 2000, the domestic and international companies were reunited when Grapette International re-acquired the trademark rights to Grapette and Orangette in the United States. Now, the authentic flavors of Grapette and Orangette are distributed exclusively in Wal-Mart stores nationwide under the names Sam's Choice Grapette and Sam's Choice Orangette.

Today, the third generation of founder Paul May's family proudly carries on the Grapette tradition. Grapette International continuously strives to maintain its reputation for superior quality products by constantly working for the success of its customers.

Despite the company's name, Grapette International has evolved from exclusively selling soft drink flavors overseas to providing customized flavors, ingredients, and value-added products to customers in the United States and around the world.