There are certain brands whose names pass our eyes, if not our lips, on a daily basis which to me are like immortal keystones around which our consumer society is constructed. These are the goliaths of retail that it is hard to imagine ever started with one person or one shop.
One such example I came across today was a little shop which existed in London at 141 Drury Lane. In 1792 this shop started selling a particular drink which was said to be unrivalled in its percentage of carbonic acid gas, so that by 1798 it was actually recommended by a doctor as an ideal treatment for nephritis.
The name of the man who sold this delightful beverage? Jacob Schweppe.
