The History of Pepsi

Pepsi started out as “Brad’s Drink,” made in a pharmacy in North Carolina in the late 1800’s (a few years after Coca-Cola). It contained pepsin, probably the source of the name. It was fairly successful, but almost went bankrupt during the first world war and the Great Depression.

One of the secrets of Pepsi’s success was going after markets that Coca-Cola ignored, particularly the African-Americans.

Coca-Cola had a few chances the buy it over the years and declined.

Variations

There are tons of variations. Our favorites include Wild Cherry Pepsi, Pepsi Green, Pepsi Natural, and the variation that uses yogurt (Pepsi White).

Taste Test

I’m sure a lot of people that visit are going to check to see if we gave Coke a higher rating than Pepsi … it’s the age-old question. Sorry to disappoint, but we rated them both highly.

Fun Stuff:

Recently, Pepsi achieved internet fame and some amount of ridicule when a collection of “marketing documents” leaked onto the internet. The document, among other things, showed different versions of the “Pepsi smile” and was generally regarded as a waste of stockholder money and the epitome of marketing aloofness.

One of our favorite Pepsi slogans is the 1950’s one: “More Bounce to the Ounce!”