They sound very good, and in everyday life we wouldn't even think about why they are called that: do you know the origin of these brand names?
Most of us are ingrained in our minds with the taste of a soft drink: if you say the names Coca, Pepsi, Fanta, 7UP or Sprite anywhere in the world, many people immediately feel the taste of refreshing drinks on their tongues. Everyone has their favorite, or the one they wouldn't start sipping under any circumstances: get to know the history of the names of our favorite soft drink brands!
The origin of the name Coca-Cola
The drink began to be sold in 1886 by John Pemberton, who after a dangerous injury as a military medic and his morphine addiction developed in connection with it, began experimenting with a drink containing kola seeds and coca bush leaves. The first version of this, French Wine Coca, even contained alcohol, after not receiving permission to distribute it, he created the alkoholmentes versión and searched for a good name for it. Frank Mason Robinson, Pemberton's accountant, suggested Coca-Cola, using the names of the two ingredients:
he changed the k to c in the name of coke, because he thought it would be much more attractive visually, thus the name of the brand.
He might not have guessed that with this he would create the world's best-known brand name, whose success is still unbroken.
Pepsi Cola refers to digestion
The inventor of the drink, Caleb Davis Bradham, also studied to be a doctor, but could not finish his studies due to family reasons - but later opened a pharmacy, where he started a cocaine-containing Unlike Coca-Cola to work on stimulant-free soda. Brad's Drink was created in 1893 and contained vanilla, sugar, water and oils in addition to cola seeds. Five years later, it was already sold as Pepsi Cola, which meant that it offered a he althy drink that supports digestion. The word Pepsi is a brand name derived from dyspepsia, i.e. indigestion.
Fanta is pure fantasy
The soft drink that was once only orange, but later came in more and more flavors, was born in the 1940s, believe it or not, in Nazi Germany The time of the Second World War due to the trade embargo, no goods, including soft drinks, arrived in Germany, so the local manufacturer could not even get hold of the cola syrup from which Coca-Cola could have been made. Max Keith, the head of the local manufacturer, came up with a rescue idea to launch a soft drink that can only be produced from locally available ingredients, so his factory can stay alive.
Residues from apples pressed to make cider and whey from cheese factories provided the basis of the then lemon-yellow drink, the taste of which practically changed continuously depending on what fruit was available. When they were looking for a brand name for the drink, Keith asked everyone to use their imagination: Fantasie is the German word from which a failed agent, Joe Knipp, created the name Fanta. In the 1960s, Fanta also reached the USA, where they finally bought the brand name. Another interesting fact is that the soft drink is now available in more than 90 flavors in some parts of the world, from elderberry to melon.
Sprite summons an elf
The relative of Fanta was also born in Germany: the drink, created in 1959, was already available in the USA two years later, and was marketed by the Coca-Cola Company as a competitor to 7UP. It is interesting that he owned the brand name for a long time: 1940 is the date. At that time, in connection with Coca-Cola, the company started a campaign in which an elf with the name Sprite Boy also appeared -
the elf was used to promote the Coke name until 1958.
Sprite's name originates from this campaign - it was selected using focus group research.
The origin of the 7UP brand name is obscure
The soft drink has a history of almost a hundred years: it is the oldest carbonated soft drink with lemon flavor, which may have been very unique once, but now there are quite a few competitors. It was created by Charles Leiper Grigg in 1929, and we're sorry, but we can't say for sure about the origin of the name. The theories are:
- It consists of seven types of ingredients, and the word UP refers to the mood-enhancing effect of the lithium citrate it contains
- It was sold in a seven-ounce bottle as opposed to the six-ounce package of Coke
- Griggs was inspired by a brand with a similar name
- Invented by Griggs while cheering for sevens during a dice game
- Lithium refers to lithium, whose atomic weight is around 7
Whichever is true, it doesn't change the fact that the origin of individual brand names is sometimes simpler than we think - and that even though they are very tasty, you shouldn't overdo the consumption of soft drinks, sómjunk oltására so it's worth staying near the water most of the time.
