What Paris company sold lemonade in 1676?

The Paris company that sold lemonade in 1676 was the Compagnie de Limonadiers.

The company operated in Paris during the early history of commercial soft drinks. Its name refers to lemonade sellers, or limonadiers, who prepared and sold lemon-based refreshments. Historical accounts describe vendors carrying tanks of lemonade on their backs and dispensing cups to customers in the city.

This lemonade predates modern bottled and carbonated soft drinks. Early versions were generally made from lemon juice, water, and a sweetener such as sugar or honey. Lemon-based drinks had already been documented in the medieval Middle East and Egypt, but the Paris company represents an important step toward organized commercial sale in Europe.

The date is sometimes confused with later developments in carbonation. Joseph Priestley described a method for making carbonated water in the 18th century, while references to carbonated lemonade in Britain appear much later, in the 19th century. The 1676 Paris milestone concerns lemonade sales, not industrial soda production.