Ever wondered how that carton of orange juice or can of iced tea came to be in your hands?

The beverage industry in Brisbane reflects the worldwide trends; it is a multi-billion dollar concern, but it hasn’t just appeared overnight. It has a long and rich history…

Since the seventeenth century, when the Compagnie de Limonadiers of Paris was granted a monopoly for the sale of lemonade soft drinks to local Parisians, the idea of selling soft drinks to the masses has appealed to entrepreneurs.

Below is a 200-year plus timeline of some of the key events showing how the industry has developed from the invention of soda water in the late eighteenth century, through the many packaging inventions, to the latest energy drinks available in Brisbane supermarkets:

• 1767 The first drinkable man-made glass of carbonated water was created in England
• 1798 First use of the term “soda water”
• 1806 Sale of soda water began
• 1810 The first U.S. patent was issued for the mass production of imitation mineral waters
• 1835 The first bottled soda water and soda fountains became available in the U.S
• 1851 Ginger ale was invented in Ireland
• 1876 Root beer started to be mass produced
• 1885 Dr Pepper was invented in Texas
• 1886 Coca-Cola was invented by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia
• 1892, The Crown Cork Bottle Seal was patented – to keep the bubbles in the bottle
• 1898 Pepsi-Cola was invented
• 1899 The production of glass bottles started
• Early 1920’s Automatic vending machines dispensed sodas drinks
• 1929 The first versions of 7 Up and Lucozade were produced in the UK and US respectively
• 1952 The first ‘diet’ soft drink was introduced to the market in the US
• 1957 Aluminum cans were first used.
• 1962 The pull-ring tab was introduced by Alcoa
• 1965 Vending machines started to dispense soft drinks in cans
• 1965 The resealable top was invented
• 1970 Plastic bottles were first used for soft drinks
• 1973 The PET bottle was first created
• 1974 The stay-on tab for cans was introduced in Kentucky
• 1985 Jolt Cola was introduced in the US – with its high caffeine content possibly the first “energy drink”
• Early 2000s – The relaxation beverage market starts as a response to energy drinks

That brings us more or less up to date with the history of the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Next time you have a soft drink in your hands, think about where the packaging and the contents have come from!

Statis Beverages is a Brisbane-based, premium wholesale beverage supplier. Please contact us for information on how we can help supply beverages to your Brisbane business.