History of Mug root beer

Mug Root Beer was introduced in 1885 as Dr. Swett's by the Belfast Beverage Company of San Francisco California. By 1947, the name was changed to Belfast Root Beer.Belfast Beverage Company has been known as a sparkling water and ginger ale maker since 1877.

In 1925 Belfast Beverage Company was bought by another locally based entity, the New Century Beverage Company, co-founded by a young local named Angelo Campodonico.

In 1927, Campodonico moved his soda manufacturing plant to a much larger facility at 820 Pacific St. in Chinatown, where the modern facility was lauded as growth to the city.

By 1955, the name was changed to Belfast Old Fashioned Mug Root Beer, and later to Mug Old Fashioned Root Beer.

Eventually, the soda’s name was officially shortened to Mug Root Beer, and the company attempted to add newer tag lines to their brand over the years. In the 1970s, one commercial on radio station KFRC claimed the soda was “the one root beer with true draft taste.”

In the late 1960s, Sugar Free Mug (now Diet Mug Root Beer) was introduced. Mug Cream Soda and Diet Mug Cream Soda were later introduced, but they are not as widely available.

Different Campodonico family members continued to operate the New Century Beverage Company until the product was acquired in 1986 by the Pepsi-Cola Company.

By the early 2000’s Pepsi decided they needed to redesign and relaunch the product as they believed it had “no personality.” After multiple iterations of various designs, they eventually changed their packaging to include a rough-looking bulldog.

Pepsi continued producing its sodas in the city and later moved to a factory at 17th Street and Valencia Street in the Mission before eventually closing the San Francisco outpost in the early 1990s.

The Mug brand has four products associated with it. These products include Mug Root Beer, Diet Mug Root Beer, Mug Cream Soda, and Diet Mug Cream Soda.
History of Mug root beer