Image to come: an old-fashioned drugstore soda fountain.
Brad's Drink
“Who was Pepsi named after?”
In 1893 Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina, was experimenting with syrups at the soda fountain in his drugstore. Drugstores often had soda fountains then, and fizzy drinks were sold as tonics as much as treats.
His customers liked one mixture so much that it became known simply as Brad’s Drink.
On 28 August 1898, Bradham gave it a grander name: Pepsi-Cola. He believed the drink helped digestion. The name is usually explained as a blend of pepsin, a digestive enzyme, and cola, from the kola nut. Here the sources disagree: some say pepsin was in the original recipe, others that it never was, and that the name was simply a hint at good digestion.
Bradham registered the trademark, founded the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1902, and within a few years the drink was being bottled across many states. The site of his pharmacy in New Bern is still known as the birthplace of Pepsi.
Look closer: Brand names that started with a founder’s own name are common. Amazon’s founder chose a river instead.