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7 Up

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7 Up is a well-known brand of lemon-lime flavored soft drink.

7up 1
7up 1

It is a non-caffeinated beverage, which distinguishes it from many other popular sodas. The brand is currently managed through different companies depending on where you live. In the United States, the formula is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. In international regions, the brand is owned by PepsiCo. In the United Kingdom, the drink is distributed by Britvic, which is a designated distributor for PepsiCo.

7Up logo (2024)
7Up logo (2024)

The history of the drink begins with Charles Leiper Grigg. He launched his company, The Howdy Corporation, in St. Louis in 1920. Grigg developed the specific lemon-lime formula in 1928. He launched the product just one year before the Wall Street crash of 1929. The trademark for "SEVEN-UP" was granted in 1928.

7-Up Bottling Company, central vertical view, NE 14 & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon (LOC)
7-Up Bottling Company, central vertical view, NE 14 & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon (LOC)

Early advertisements even featured a flying logo to catch the eyes of customers.

The original name and recipe were quite different from the drink we know today. Between 1930 and 1931, the product was called "7up Lithiated Lemon Soda."

7up lithiated lemon soda bottle cap
7up lithiated lemon soda bottle cap

During this time, the drink claimed to contain lithium citrate, which is a mood-stabilizing drug. This was common for many patent medicine products in the early 20th century. However, in 1936, the federal government required the manufacturer to remove these health claims. Because lithium was not actually an ingredient, the name was simplified to just "7 Up" in 1937.

There are several theories regarding why the brand is named "7 Up." One explanation from Britvic is that the name refers to the seven main ingredients in the recipe. Another theory suggests the number seven relates to the atomic mass of lithium, which was in the original recipe.

1929 7-Up Bottle
1929 7-Up Bottle

A third possibility is that the name refers to the packaging. In the past, the drink was sold in seven-ounce bottles, while competitors like Coca-Cola used six-ounce bottles. This gave the product a slight advantage in size.

The recipe has undergone many changes to meet modern standards. In 2006, the United States version was reformulated to be marketed as "100% natural." To achieve this, the company removed a chelating agent called calcium disodium EDTA. They also replaced sodium citrate with potassium citrate to lower the sodium content.

7-Up Bottlers Flavor jug
7-Up Bottlers Flavor jug

This version used high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a sweetener. This led to a controversy regarding the "natural" claim. In 2007, after a threat of a lawsuit, the company changed its marketing to "100% Natural Flavors." In other places, like the United Kingdom, HFCS is not used, so the drink is different there. In 2011, a version called 7 Up Retro was released using real cane sugar instead of corn syrup.

Over the decades, the company has changed hands many times. The 7 Up company was privately owned by founding families until 1978. That year, it was sold to Philip Morris. In 1986, Philip Morris sold the company in two separate parts. The international division went to PepsiCo, while the U.S. business went to an investment group.

Dr Pepper Museum December 2016 14 (7up bottling exhibit)
Dr Pepper Museum December 2016 14 (7up bottling exhibit)

In 1988, the U.S. business merged with Dr Pepper. This led to a long series of mergers involving Cadbury Schweppes and eventually the formation of Keurig Dr Pepper in 2018.

Today, the brand offers a massive variety of flavors and styles. There are fruit variants like Cherry 7 Up, Pomegranate 7 Up, and Tropical 7 Up, which features pineapple and mango.

There was even a spice-flavored version called 7 Up Gold. This drink was intended to capture 1% of the $26.6 billion cola market. However, it only captured 0.1% of the market before it was discontinued. For those seeking fewer calories, there are options like 7 Up Zero Sugar. This line evolved from an original 1963 version called "Like," which used a sweetener called cyclamate. These many variations show how the brand continues to adapt to different tastes and health trends around the world.

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🖼️ Images & Media (12)
File:7Up logo (2024).svg
7Up logo (2024).svg
File:7_Up_Logo_Pepsi.svg
7_Up_Logo_Pepsi.svg
File:7up 1.jpg
7up 1.jpg
File:7-Up Bottling Company, central vertical view, NE 14 & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon (LOC).jpg
7-Up Bottling Company, central vertical...
File:7up lithiated lemon soda bottle cap.jpg
7up lithiated lemon soda bottle cap.jpg
File:Dr Pepper Museum December 2016 14 (7up bottling exhibit).jpg
Dr Pepper Museum December 2016 14 (7up...
File:1929 7-Up Bottle.jpg
1929 7-Up Bottle.jpg
File:7-Up Bottlers Flavor jug.jpg
7-Up Bottlers Flavor jug.jpg
File:Osmenia - panoramio - DAVID.jpg
Osmenia - panoramio - DAVID.jpg
File:7up advertisement on water tower (cropped).jpg
7up advertisement on water tower (cropped).jpg
File:Limited edition Maltese 7-Up bottle with Fido Dido resting between two logo's.jpg
Limited edition Maltese 7-Up bottle with...
File:Bertrand Gachot 1991 USA.jpg
Bertrand Gachot 1991 USA.jpg
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