History of Soft Drinks

Carbonated soft drinks date back to the mineral water found in natural springs - scientists discovered that carbon dioxide was behind the bubbles in natural mineral water.

Although claims for the medicinal properties of these mineral waters have been grossly exaggerated, the presence of carbon dioxide does make aerated waters and soft drinks more palatable and visually attractive; the final product sparkles and foams.

The first non carbonated soft drinks appeared during the seventeenth century. In 1767, the first drinkable man-made glass of carbonated water was created by Dr. Joseph Priestly in the United Kingdom.

In the year 1772, Priestly invented ‘an apparatus for making aerated water’, which he exhibited to the Royal College of Physicians, and upon which the college reported favorably.

In 1770 a Swedish chemist, Torbern Bergman invented a process that produced carbonated water from the reaction between chalk and sulphuric acid thus allowing a commercial production of aerated mineral water.

A few years later in 1783, Jacob Schweppes, a young watchmaker and amateur scientist perfected an efficient system for manufacturing carbonated mineral water and founded the Schweppes Company in Geneva. He relocated to London, England in 1790. Since then the addition of flavorings to aerated water has seen the development of major softdrinks brands throughout the world. To meet the need for carbonated soft drinks, the soda fountain was developed by Samuel Fahnestock in the United States in 1819.

However, it was not until 1832 that carbonated beverages became popular, when John Mathews developed his machine for carbonating water.

In 1798, the term soda water was first coined and in 1810, the first US patent was issued for the “means of the mass manufacturer of imitation mineral waters” to Simon and Rundell of Charleston, South Carolina.

The patenting of the Crown cork by William Painter in 1892 and the automatic production of glass bottles using a glass blowing machine by Michael J. Owens in 1899 were notable achievement that at last allowed carbonated softdrinks to be successful bottled without significant loss of carbonation.

Since then, development in closure technology, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle production, can design and manufacture, syrup making methods, carbonation technology and filling machine manufacture have led to the worldwide beverage industry as we know it today. By 1920 the US Census had reported that over 5000, bottlers were in operation.
History of Soft Drinks