Pepsi was originally called Brad's Drink when Caleb Bradham created it in 1893.
Bradham was a pharmacist who sold the drink at his drugstore in New Bern, North Carolina. Like many early soft drinks, it was served at a soda fountain and was initially promoted as a refreshing beverage. The name Brad's Drink referred directly to its creator rather than to a separate corporate brand.
Bradham renamed it Pepsi-Cola in 1898. The new name has often been linked to the word dyspepsia, a historical term for indigestion, and to kola nuts, which were used in many cola formulas. The exact commercial meaning of the name was shaped by the health-oriented advertising style of the period.
Pepsi-Cola Company was incorporated in 1902, but the early business later suffered financial difficulties during the sugar shortages of World War I. The brand changed ownership more than once before becoming part of the modern PepsiCo story. The original name is therefore a useful clue to Pepsi's pharmacy and soda-fountain origins.