- Title
- Our State
-
-
- Date
- May 2002
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
Our State
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Pepsi-Cola
A GOOD THING
hv kiitlis I.rani \N
«*'1
brook
chose rhe name "Pepsi" for
his beverage because pepsin
was one of its ingredients,
l .arry T. Cook, manager of The
Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola memo¬
rabilia store, which is housed in
When you've gone all day with¬
out a Pepsi, and you finally
get one. it sure is a good
thing." says, well, says me. No one loves
a Pepsi more than I do. When I found
out I would be writing an article about
my all-time favorite thirst quencher, my
husband reminded me of the words I
had spoken just a day earlier, when I
sank into my chair and cracked open
my first can around 5 p.m.
Pepsi is a good thing. It's also a
North Carolina thing. The original
recipe was developed in New Bern, at
the turn of the century, by a fellow
named Caleb Davis Bradham.
Bradham, who was bom in the Duplin
County town of Chinquapin in IS<>7,
attended the University of North
Carolina, then went on to the University
of Mary land to study medicine. Financial
difficulties forced him to leave school
before completing his studies, so he
returned to North Carolina where he
began teaching school in New Bern.
But Bradham's heart wasn't in teach¬
ing. It was in medicine. So, he re-entered
the University of Maryland, graduated
from the College of Pharmacy, and
bought a New Bern drug store. From
behind the counter of the soda fountain
inside Bradham’s Pharmacy, Bradham
liked to experiment with various recipes,
striving to create a drink that would be
not only delicious, but also healthful in
the sense that it would contain no
impurities and none of the narcotics often
found in fountain drinks of the time. In
IS96, Bradham created a standout bever-
age that tickled the taste buds of his
patrons. It was dubbed Brad’s Drink.
A drink by any other name
So where did the name “Pepsi" come
from? In the late ISOOs, some folks
suffered from dyspepsia, a stomach ail¬
ment. It has been widely postulated that
Bradham called his drink “Pepsi-Cola"
because u supposedly provided relief
from this condition.
Other people believe that Bradham
the building once occupied by BradhanTs
Pharmacy, dismisses these theories.
Bradham went bankrupt in 1923,
Cook points out, and had to submit a
statement to the bankruptcy |udgc.
listing the ingredients of Pepsi-Cola. In
this statement, says Cook. “ I here’s no
mention, whatsoever, of pepsin."
So how does Oxik explain the origin
of the Pepsi name? “Tbis store (which
used to be Bradham's Pharmaeyl is locat¬
ed across the street from Christ F.piscopal
Church, which has been there since 1750.
|Bradham| sat here for two years, looking
out the window." Cook says, gesturing
toward a plate glass window facing the
church. “He had this burning notion and
desire that he wanted ‘something’ -cola
because (Coca-Cola) was on the market
and making big waves."
Cook then writes the word “episco¬
pal" across a piece of paper, and begins
rearranging the letters one by one to
demonstrate that the word “Pepsi-Cola"
is an anagram of episcopal. To further
make his point, lie notes, "If you glance
at the word 'episcopal', (looking at| the
last five letters, the word 'cola' pops out
at you." Brad’s Drink was renamed
Pepsi-Cola m 1 898.
“This is the story I tell, and I think,
personally, that it's real close to being the
truth." says Cook, although he admits
that there’s never
1чч-п
any documenta¬
tion to substantiate the claim.
In 1902 Bradham incorporated the
Pepsi-Cola Company in North Carolina.
The company nourished for several
years, but. after World War I. wildly
fluctuating sugar prices devastated
Bradham's business. He declared bank¬
ruptcy in 1923.
Today, the Pepsi-Cola Company,
owned by New York-based PepsiCo Inc.,
is once again a success.
M
Larry T. Cook, manager of The Birthplace
of Pepsi-Cola memorabilia store in New
Bern, serves up a cold one in the very
spot where the beverage was invented.
A heavenly taste
Pepsi has proved more popular than
Bradham could ever have hoped, gen¬
erating more than Si billion of revenue
each year. Pepsi has achieved its popu¬
larity due. no doubt, to its great taste.
Still, some great ad campaigns
throughout the years haven’t hurt.
Early on. Pepsi-Cola relied on newspa¬
per ads, grabbing readers’ attention by
promising them a drink that was
“exhilarating" and “invigorating.” The
company often showcased the Pepsi¬
Cola name by painting it on the sides
of buildings.
Around 1908, Pepsi featured the first
of many celebrity endorsements when
race car driver Barney Oldfield became
a spokesman, describing the drink as
“a fine bracer before a race." In 1939,
Pepsi-Cola took its advertising to new
heights. The company began skywrit¬
ing “Drink Pepsi-Cola" in mile-high
letters, across a six-mile stretch, over
different cities. Tli is heavenly inscrip¬
tion was a surefire attention-getter.
"One woman in New York even
phoned the company, informing them
that God had just written their prod¬
uct's name over the city," writes Bob
Stoddard in Pepsi: 100 Years.
Another Pepsi ad that enjoyed popu¬
larity involved this little ditty: “Pepsi¬
Cola hits the spot. Twelve full ounces
that’s a lot. Twice as much for a nickel,
too. Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you.”
It’s an ad that still holds true for many
of us.
Kathy Grant Westbrook tires in
hour Oaks.
70 OurSltfe May 2002
