- Lemonade was invented in 1893 by pharmacist Caleb Bradham
- It is designed to aid digestion and increase energy. The name comes from dyspepsia – also known as indigestion
- Social media users were shocked to learn the meaning behind the name
The meaning of the name Pepsi goes far beyond a carbonated drink that provides an energy boost.
The popular lemonade, which was first invented in 1893 as Brad’s Drink by pharmacist Caleb Bradham, was used, among other things, to promote digestion.
Now people are shocked to learn that Pepsi’s name comes from the word “dyspepsia” – also known as indigestion – and the help its drink offers with this gastrointestinal complaint.
Pepsi was invented in 1898 by pharmacist Caleb Bradham to aid digestion and provide an energy boost
Pepsi is currently the world’s second most valuable soft drink brand, ahead of Coca-Cola – the soda that is part of the long-running rivalry known as the “Cola Wars.”
“I was years old today when I found out,” one social media user wrote via The US Sun, and another wrote, “I had no idea.”
Bradham ran a vending machine in his drugstore in North Carolina, where he dispensed drinks of his own creation.
The most popular drink he sold was Brad’s Drink – a lemonade made from a mixture of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, kola nuts, nutmeg and other additives.
He changed it to Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and by 1903 the soda syrup was selling like crazy in pharmacies across North Carolina.
Pepsi was designed solely to aid digestion. His first slogan in 1903 was “Exciting, invigorating, promotes digestion”.
Bradham dropped Cola from the name in 1961 so that the drink could reflect the drink’s health benefits.
Bradham’s lemonade, when invented, was a mixture of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, kola nuts, nutmeg and other additives.
Some people claimed that Pepsi was actually named after pepsin – the main digestive enzyme in the stomach that breaks down proteins.
Another theory is that Bradham originally changed the name to Pepsi-Cola because it was an anagram for Episcopal.
Episcopal is not a drink additive, but rather the name of a large church across the street from Bradham’s store.
PepsiCo denied that the coincidental anagram was the reason for the name change. Now drinkers know the real reason for the company’s name.