A pharmacist-soda jerk and a drug store in New Bern, North Carolina turned out to be the two key ingredients when creating one of America’s favorite soda pops! Pharmacist Caleb Bradham owned a pharmacy and, like many pharmacies at the turn of the century, had a soda fountain in his drug store. Caleb liked to serve customers refreshing drinks that he himself created. By far the most popular drink he served was “Brad’s Drink,” a mixture of carbonated water, sugar, vanilla, rare oils, pepsin, and cola nuts.
Created in the summer of 1893, it went on to be called “Pepsi Cola” in 1898 after the pepsin and cola nuts used in the making of the beverage. That same year Caleb Bradham wisely bought the trade name “Pepsi Cola” for $100 from a competitor in Newark, New Jersey that had gone broke. The new name was trademarked on June 16, 1903. Bradham's neighbor designed the first Pepsi logo and ninety-seven shares of stock for Bradham's new company were issued.
Unfortunately for Bradham, he also made a regrettable decision for his company and after seventeen years of success, he lost his Pepsi Cola Company. He had gambled on the fluctuations of sugar prices during World War I, believing that sugar prices would continue to rise but they did the opposite and fell, leaving Caleb Bradham with an overpriced sugar inventory. Pepsi Cola inevitably went bankrupt in 1923.
In 1931, Pepsi Cola was bought by the Loft Candy Company president, Charles G. Guth who reformulated the popular soft drink. It is surprising to learn that Guth actually struggled to make a success of Pepsi and even offered to sell Pepsi to the Coca-Cola Company, who refused to offer a bid.
In 1940, history was made when the first advertising jingle was broadcast nationally on the radio. The jingle was "Nickel Nickel" an advertisement for Pepsi Cola that referred to the price of Pepsi and the quantity for that price. "Nickel Nickel" became a hit record and was recorded into 55 languages. Pepsi is now distributed worldwide and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1998.
