By 1910, Caleb Bradham’s Pepsi-Cola business had reached hundreds of bottlers across 24 states. A beverage developed at a New Bern pharmacy had become a multistate enterprise.
Yet in 1923, Bradham lost control of the company he had founded. Expensive sugar purchases followed by falling prices had contributed to its financial collapse. The beverage continued under other owners.
A Quick Look at the Life of Caleb Bradham
Biography Summary
Caleb Davis Bradham was an American pharmacist and the creator of Pepsi-Cola. Before entering the beverage business, he studied medicine, taught briefly, and established a pharmacy in New Bern. His work also extended to pharmacy education, local public service, and North Carolina’s naval militia.
Profile
Full Name: Caleb Davis Bradham
Born: May 27, 1867
Died: February 19, 1934
Birthplace: Chinquapin, Duplin County, North Carolina
Education: Attended the University of North Carolina; subsequently studied medicine at the University of Maryland
Best Known For: Creating Pepsi-Cola
Major Role: Founder and first president of the original Pepsi-Cola Company
Medical Studies Interrupted by Family Finances
Bradham entered the University of North Carolina in 1886 and later studied medicine at the University of Maryland. His medical education ended when his father’s business failed and family finances could no longer support his studies.
He taught school briefly before establishing a pharmacy in New Bern. At his store on the corner of Pollock and Middle Streets, Bradham began developing drinks for the soda fountain.
Brad’s Drink Becomes Pepsi-Cola
In 1893, Bradham developed and began serving the beverage known as Brad’s Drink. On August 28, 1898, he renamed it Pepsi-Cola.
Bradham believed his drink offered digestive benefits, an idea that also appeared in its advertising. A 1903 advertising line described Pepsi-Cola as “Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion.” Those words expressed the product’s marketing claims rather than established medical benefits.
His New Bern neighbor Bayard Wootten, a photographer, contributed to the beverage’s branding by designing an early Pepsi logo.
A Separate Company and a Wider Bottling Network
Bradham shifted his attention toward a separate beverage business, incorporating the Pepsi-Cola Company in North Carolina in December 1902 and becoming its first president.
He had applied to register the Pepsi-Cola trademark that September. Registration followed in June 1903, covering flavoring syrup for soda water.
Production moved into a rented warehouse in 1903. Bottling franchises followed in 1905, with the first established in Charlotte and Durham. Distribution through bottlers extended the business beyond the pharmacy where the drink began.
By 1910, hundreds of bottlers were making and selling Pepsi-Cola across 24 states. New Bern hosted the company’s first bottlers’ convention that year.
Sugar Losses and the 1923 Bankruptcy
Wartime sugar restrictions constrained Pepsi-Cola production during World War I.
After the war, Bradham bought expensive sugar. When the sugar market subsequently declined, losses associated with those purchases contributed to the company’s financial collapse.
The original Pepsi-Cola company entered bankruptcy in 1923, ending Bradham’s control of the business.
Community Work Beyond Pepsi-Cola
Bradham’s activities in North Carolina extended beyond the beverage company. He supported a prize for pharmacy students at the University of North Carolina through 1930 and participated in Shriner activities. His public and business roles also included service on the Craven County commissioners’ board and leadership at the People’s Bank of New Bern.
He also served in North Carolina’s naval militia and reserve, reaching the rank of rear admiral within the state organization. Bradham and his wife, Charity Credle, had three children.
After the loss of his Pepsi-Cola business, Bradham served as Sudan Temple Recorder from 1924 until his retirement in 1930. He died on February 19, 1934, and was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New Bern.
The Beverage Outlasted Its Founder’s Ownership
Pepsi continued to develop under other owners after Bradham lost his company. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, decades after his death.
The Birthplace of Pepsi historical site opened in New Bern in 1998, commemorating the beverage’s beginnings. Bradham’s ownership had ended, but his creation outlasted the business failure that separated him from it.
Timeline
These milestones trace Caleb Bradham’s education, beverage business, and later life.
May 27, 1867
Caleb Davis Bradham is born in Chinquapin, North Carolina.
1886
Bradham enters the University of North Carolina.
1893
Bradham develops and begins serving Brad’s Drink at his New Bern pharmacy.
August 28, 1898
Bradham renames his beverage Pepsi-Cola.
1902–1903
Bradham files his trademark application on September 23, 1902, and incorporates the Pepsi-Cola Company that December. Trademark registration follows on June 16, 1903.
1905
The first Pepsi-Cola bottling franchises are established in Charlotte and Durham.
1910
Pepsi-Cola’s bottler network covers 24 states. New Bern hosts the company’s first bottlers’ convention.
1923
The original Pepsi-Cola company enters bankruptcy, and Bradham loses control of the business.
1924–1930
Bradham serves as Sudan Temple Recorder until retirement.
February 19, 1934
Bradham dies.
FAQs
Question: Did Caleb Bradham invent Pepsi in 1893 or 1898?
Answer: Bradham developed Brad’s Drink in 1893. He renamed the beverage Pepsi-Cola on August 28, 1898, so the two dates refer to different stages of the drink’s history.
Question: Why did Caleb Bradham lose his Pepsi-Cola company?
Answer: Sugar supply restrictions and losses associated with expensive sugar purchases contributed to the original company’s 1923 bankruptcy. Bradham lost control of the business, while Pepsi-Cola continued under other owners.
Question: Did Caleb Bradham found PepsiCo?
Answer: Bradham founded the original Pepsi-Cola Company. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 by the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, after Bradham’s death in 1934.
Further Reading
Sources
- New Bern Historical Society: Dorothy DeWeerdt, “Caleb Davis Bradham,” May 1991 Journal
- North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources: Caleb Bradham Historical Marker, Pepsi-Cola’s Trademark and Early Business, Brad’s Drink Becomes Pepsi-Cola
- University of Maryland School of Medicine / Medical Alumni Association: Medicine Bulletin, Winter 2017–2018, “Recollections”
- The Birthplace of Pepsi: History of the Birthplace of Pepsi
- North Carolina History Project: Troy L. Kickler, Caleb Bradham (1867–1934)
- PepsiCo: Pepsi: From Soda Fountain to an American Brand
- PBS NC: The Uncommon Story: Bayard Wootten