COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 31211

Soft Drink Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

56companies1866–2000founding years54still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedNestlé S.A.
1866
FoundedHeineken N.V.
1873
1886
EconomyCoca-Cola is first served in Atlanta.
FoundedKanebo, Ltd.
1887
FoundedSABMiller plc
1895
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedAG Barr plc
1904
FoundedSuntory Ltd.
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedWinn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
1928
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedEmpresas Polar SA
1941
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedEmbotelladora Andina S.A.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedCJ Corporation
1953
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedPepsiAmericas, Inc.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBass PLC
1967
FoundedThe Stash Tea Company
1972
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedPyramid Breweries Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedClearly Canadian Beverage Corporation
1987
FoundedDr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.
1988
FoundedKraft Foods Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedBaltika Brewery Joint Stock Company
1992
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Britannia Soft Drinks Ltd. (Britvic) →
Active · United Kingdom
Britannia Soft Drinks Ltd.
Nestlé S.A. →
Active · founded 1866 · Switzerland
Nestlé S.A.
Swire Pacific Limited →
Active · founded 1866 · Hong Kong
Swire Pacific Limited, which came to prominence as one of the 19th-century British-owned trading houses based in Hong…
Arla Foods amba →
Active · founded 1869 · Denmark
Arla Foods amba is a cooperative formed by the 2000 merger between Sweden's Arla and Denmark's MD Foods.
Heineken N.V. →
Active · founded 1873 · The Netherlands
1592: An Amsterdam brewery known as De Hooiberg (The Haystack) is established.
Karlsberg Brauerei GmbH & Co KG →
Active · founded 1878 · Germany
Karlsberg Brauerei GmbH & Co KG is one of Germany's top ten beer and beverage producers.
Fraser & Neave Ltd. →
Active · founded 1883 · Singapore
One of the largest publicly listed companies in Singapore, Fraser & Neave Ltd.
Kanebo, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1887 · Japan
Kanebo, Ltd.
Quilmes Industrial (QUINSA) S.A. →
Active · founded 1888 · Argentina
Quilmes Industrial (QUINSA) S.A.
The Coca-Cola Company →
Active · founded 1892
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's number one maker of soft drinks, selling 1.3 billion beverage servings every day.
SABMiller plc →
Active · founded 1895 · United Kingdom
SABMiller plc ranks as the world's second largest brewer in terms of volume, trailing only Anheuser-Busch Companies,…
The Quaker Oats Company →
Active · founded 1901
The product of a rocky union between three 19th-century millers, The Quaker Oats Company maintains a portfolio of…
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A. →
Active · founded 1902 · Chile
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A.
AG Barr plc →
Active · founded 1904 · United Kingdom
AG Barr plc is the United Kingdom's leading focused soft drinks manufacturer and maker of the world-famous Irn Bru.
Faygo Beverages Inc. →
Active · founded 1907
Faygo Beverages Inc.
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Longtime leader of the Japanese beer market, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited in the early 2000s was overtaken by its…
Suntory Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Suntory Ltd.
San Miguel Corporation →
Active · founded 1913 · Philippines
Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.
Eckes AG →
Active · founded 1922 · Germany
German-based Eckes AG is Europe's top manufacturer of fruit juices and the fourth ranked maker of spirits.
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
Triarc Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
Triarc Companies, Inc.
Unilever →
Active · founded 1929 · The Netherlands
If the adage 'two heads are better than one' applies to business, then certainly Unilever is a prime example.
Empresas Polar SA →
Active · founded 1941 · Venezuela
Empresas Polar SA operates as Venezuela's largest private industrial conglomerate, manufacturing and distributing a…
Penaflor S.A. →
Active · founded 1941 · Argentina
Penaflor S.A., together with its sister company, Bodegas Trapiche S.A.I.C.A., is Latin America's largest wine producer…
Panamerican Beverages, Inc. →
Active · founded 1945 · Panama
Panamerican Beverages, Inc., also known as Panamco LLC, is the world's second largest bottler of Coca-Cola soft drink…
Embotelladora Andina S.A. →
Active · founded 1946 · Chile
Embotelladora Andina S.A.
Asahi Breweries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Asahi Breweries, Ltd.
Sapporo Breweries Limited →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Over the course of its more than 120-year history, Sapporo Breweries Limited has evolved from a government-owned beer…
CJ Corporation →
Active · founded 1953 · South Korea
South Korea's largest food manufacturer, CJ Corporation, is also one of the world's leading producers of such food…
Cott Corporation →
Active · founded 1955 · Canada
Toronto-based Cott Corporation is the world's top supplier of private label (although the company prefers to call it…
Parmalat Finanziaria SpA →
Active · founded 1961 · Italy
Parma, Italy, is not only the home of fine Italian cheese and ham, but also Parmalat Finanziaria SpA, a diversified,…
PepsiAmericas, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1962
PepsiAmericas, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
PepsiCo, Inc.
Groupe Danone →
Active · founded 1966 · France
Known until 1994 as BSN Groupe S.A., Groupe Danone is one of the largest food companies in the world.
Bass PLC →
Active · founded 1967 · United Kingdom
Conceived as a single brewery in the late 18th century, Bass PLC was in the process of a historic transition at the…
Cadbury Schweppes PLC →
Active · founded 1969 · United Kingdom
Cadbury Schweppes PLC is one of the oldest and largest family-run businesses in the world today.
Carlsberg A/S →
Active · founded 1970 · Denmark
Carlsberg A/S is one of the world's largest brewing companies.
The Stash Tea Company →
Active · founded 1972
The Stash Tea Company (also know as the Universal Tea Co., Inc.) ranks among the top five specialty tea companies in…
Virgin Group →
Active · founded 1973 · United Kingdom
Virgin Group is a diversified grouping of more than 200 privately held companies.
Newman's Own, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Since its founding in 1982 by veteran actor Paul Newman and writer A.E.
Pyramid Breweries Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Pyramid Breweries, Inc.
Red Bull GmbH →
Active · founded 1984 · Austria
Red Bull made its first forays into the southern hemisphere, via South Africa and Brazil, in 2001.
Starbucks Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Starbucks Corporation is the leading roaster, retailer, and marketer of specialty coffee in North America.
Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation →
Active · founded 1987 · Canada
Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation is a British Columbia-based maker of so-called "new age" or "alternative"…
Jones Soda Co. →
Active · founded 1987
Jones Soda Co.
Stewart's Beverages →
Active · founded 1987
Stewart's Beverages is best known for its premium soft drinks that evoke a nostalgic experience through such…
Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1988
Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.
Interbrew S.A. →
Active · founded 1988 · Belgium
With operations on every continent on the globe, Belgium's Interbrew S.A.
Lion Nathan Limited →
Active · founded 1988 · Australia
Lion Nathan Limited is one of the leading brewers in the Australasian region, with the number one spot in New Zealand…
Kraft Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Kraft Foods Inc.
Weider Nutrition International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
One of the companies founded by Joe Weider to promote health and physical fitness, Weider Nutrition International,…
Hansen Natural Corporation →
Active · founded 1990
A descendant of a venerable California juice maker, Hansen Natural Corporation went from bankruptcy case to NASDAQ…
Baltika Brewery Joint Stock Company →
Active · founded 1992 · Russia
Baltika Brewery Joint Stock Company is the largest beer brewer in Russia, with about 20 percent of the domestic market.
Tully's Coffee Corporation →
Active · founded 1992
Founded in 1992, Tully's Coffee Corporation is the third largest company-owned specialty coffee retailer in the United…
The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.
Companhia de Bebidas das Américas →
Active · founded 2000 · Brazil
AmBev, more formally known as Companhia de Bebidas das Américas, is the world's fifth largest brewer.
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