Apollinaris spring water

In 1852, Georg Kreuzberg, a vintner from Ahrweiler in Germany, bought a vineyard at an auction for 15 thaler but found the vines would not grow there.

On investigation, he found the soil had an exceptionally high concentration of carbonate. Literally wanting to get to the bottom of things, he dug down fifty feet and discovered an underground spring of naturally carbonated mineral water. In 1853, he started selling spring water in earthenware bottles.

The water from the Apollinaris Spring (named after St. Apollinaris by Kreuzberg) was shortly thereafter termed the “Queen of Table Waters’, when a London ship owner arranged exclusive exports rights from Kreuzberg.

In 1873 the Apollinaris Company Ltd was set up in Westminster London, and the brand became internationally well known.

The Apollinaris water sold largely not only in England, but in America, Europe, India and in the British colonies.

By 1900, over 27 million bottles of Apollinaris were sold, of which over 25 million were exported.

In 1991, Apollinaris and drinks firm Schweppes of Germany merged but then in 2002 the whole company was bought out by the British company Cadbury Schweppes. In 2006 Coca-Cola bought Apollinaris spring water from Cadbury-Schweppes.
Apollinaris spring water

History of Dr Pepper Snapple Group

From humble beginnings in Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store, the company Morrison and Lazenby started has become one of the largest beverage manufacturers in North America. They formed the Artesian Manufacturing & Bottling Company.

Lazenby moved the company from Waco to Dallas in 1923. The company merged with 7-Up became Dr Pepper/Seven UP Inc. on May 19, 1986.

Dr Pepper/Seven UP was purchased by Cadbury Schweppes in March 2, 1995 after the conglomerate became debt-ridden and insolvent. It sold for about US$1.7 billion, plus about US$870 million of Dr Pepper/Seven UP debt.

Cadbury Schweppes emerged in 1969 from the merger of Cadbury plc, a British confectionary and a soft drink company and Schweppes, an international beverage brand.

In 2000, Cadbury Schweppes acquired the Snapple Beverage Group (Snapple).

Three years after acquiring Snapple Cadbury Schweppes combined its four North American beverage companies – Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Snapple, Mott’s and Bebidas Mexico into Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB).

In May 2008, under the direction of Larry Young, CSAB officially spun off from Cadbury’s confectionary manufacturing division and Dr Pepper brand became part of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, located in Plano Texas.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. now is a major beverage company with an integrated business model including brand ownership, bottling, and distribution on nonalcoholic beverages in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
History of Dr Pepper Snapple Group

The history of Cadbury Schweppes

In 1783, in Geneva, Switzerland, Jacob Schweppes independently developed a process of adding carbonation into mineral water and Schweppes was born.

Schweppes, originally over decades very strong in Belgium and France might have originated from cultural need of more Latin and southern countries for cold refreshing drinks as a substitute for heat.

In 1794, Richard Cadbury, a prominent Quaker, moved from the West Country in Britain to Birmingham.

A number of years later, in the United Kingdom in 1824, his son, John Cadbury began selling tea coffee, hops, mustard and a new sideline – coca and drinking chocolate, which John prepared himself using a mortar and a pestle.

These sales were bolstered by his increasing sales of coca and chocolate. In the 1860s, when George Cadbury and his brother Richard inherited the from their father, Cadbury Brothers was small, struggling family business. By 1900, it was the largest British chocolate maker, with an annual turnover of £1 million.

In 1969 Cadbury and Schweppes agreed to merge. Each company was strong in its market, Schweppes was well regarded for its carbonated soft drinks and mixers while Cadbury was mainly known for its chocolate products. Hence, the merger in 1969 was of giants on the carbonated soft drink (CSD) and confectionary (Cadbury) market reflecting their primary lines of business.

Today, Cadbury Schweppes has the largest share of the global confectionary market and a strong regional presence with carbonated soft drinks in North America.

Cadbury-Schweppes has established a formidable presence in the US market by dint of acquisition after acquisition.

In 1995, it had bought the company Dr Pepper/7Up and acquired the confectionary from Adams in 2002.

Outside of the carbonated soft drinks market Cadbury Schweppes acquired Snapple beverages in 2000. In 2005, Cadbury Schweppes has over $11 billion revenue and a stock market valuation over $21 billion.

In 2004, Cadbury Schweppes had a combined 14.4 percent share of the carbonated soft drinks market in the United States.

 In 2008 the two companies split, each becoming a separate corporation. The company’s beverages remained with Schweppes while the chocolate and candy remained with Cadbury.

The history of Cadbury Schweppes