SAN FRANCISCO -- The Snapple Beverage Co., one of the nation's leading juice and iced-tea makers, started a $100,000 advertising campaign Wednesday to dispel a 'vicious' rumor it supports the Ku Klux Klan.
'The Ku Klux Klan is a horrible organization,' said Leonard Marsh, co-founder of the Valley Stream, N.Y.-based company.
'I mean, three Jewish boys from Brooklyn (the company's founders) supporting the Ku Klux Klan? That's a horror to begin with.'
There are rumors that a scene on the labels depicts a slave ship, while a 'K' symbol represents the KKK.
Snapple said the ship scene on the label depicts the Boston Tea Party, while the 'K' identifies its products as Kosher.
At the same time, the company said it also faces incorrect rumors that it supports the anti-abortion movement.
Ads appeared in Wednesday editions of San Francisco's newspapers debunking the rumors.
