Which pharmacist created Pepsi-Cola in New Bern, North Carolina?

Caleb Bradham created Pepsi-Cola in New Bern, North Carolina.

Bradham was a pharmacist who operated Bradham’s Pharmacy, where he mixed fountain beverages for customers. In 1898, he renamed one of his drinks Pepsi-Cola. The beverage was marketed as a pleasant, refreshing drink and eventually became the foundation of Pepsi-Cola and later PepsiCo.

Bradham’s story is sometimes simplified into a direct Coca-Cola comparison, but the two drinks originated in different places and under different business circumstances. Coca-Cola began in Atlanta in 1886, while Pepsi-Cola emerged in New Bern twelve years later.

Bradham also controlled the early Pepsi-Cola business through a company bearing his name. Financial difficulties during World War I contributed to the brand’s bankruptcy in 1923, after which Pepsi changed ownership several times before becoming a major rival to Coca-Cola.