PepsiCo was formed in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay.
The combination joined a major soft-drink company with a rapidly growing snack-food business. Frito-Lay had itself been created through an earlier merger, bringing together Frito and H.W. Lay & Company.
The new corporation gave Pepsi a broader food-and-beverage portfolio and established the structure that later supported brands across snacks, drinks, and packaged foods. PepsiCo subsequently expanded through additional acquisitions and internal brand development.
This date is sometimes confused with Pepsi-Cola’s earlier history or with later acquisitions such as Quaker Oats and Tropicana. Those transactions expanded PepsiCo, but they did not create it.