Most people will recognise many of the drinks on this list, if not all of them. But did you know the carbonated soft drink (CSD) market is dominated by just three players! Coca Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper are responsible for most of the drinks on this list, but not only that, the best selling soft drink has been the best seller for over 100 years! But lower down the list the market does change and there might be a few brand names here you won’t expect. Now that those little facts have quenched your thirst let’s get into the list…
Coca-Cola – USA – Sales: 37,935M
FACT: The iconic American brand is recognized instantly around the globe and sold in more than 200 countries. Additionally, there are thousands of subsidiary beverages that you might have no idea are owned by Coke.
Pepsi – USA – Sales: 18,922M
FACT: The inventor of Pepsi-Cola was a druggist in North Carolina named Caleb Davis Bradham. In 1893, Bradham began selling “Brad’s Drink” at the soda fountain in his store. The beverage was a mixture of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, nutmeg, kola nuts, and a few other ingredients. Five years later, Bradham renamed the drink Pepsi Cola because he believed that it helped to stave off dyspepsia (indigestion).
Red Bull – Austria – Sales: 7,073M
FACT: The original Red Bull was a Thai energy drink called “Krating Daeng” It was marketed to truckers, farmers, and construction workers, the original had a similar blend of caffeine and taurine to keep sleep at bay. Unbelievably, the classic version is actually sweeter than the European version.
Nescafe – Switzerland – Sales: 6,185M
FACT: Nestlé began developing an instant coffee brand in 1930 with the help of the Brazilian government to help preserve the massive surplus of the annual Brazilian coffee harvest.
Sprite – USA – 5,443M
FACT: Sprite was first developed in West Germany in 1959 as Fanta Klare Zitrone – “Clear Lemon Fanta”, and was introduced in the United States under the current brand name Sprite in 1961 as a competitor to 7 Up. In 1967, Sprite was available to about 85 percent of the U.S. population and was sold in at least 39 countries.
Monster – USA – 4,548M
FACT: When you think of a “dietary supplement,” you might think of things that you buy at places like Whole Foods that make grandiose promises. However, Monsters used to be considered “dietary supplements.” The FDA loosely defines a dietary supplement as anything that supplements your diet.
Gatorade – USA – 4,408M
FACT: The drink was developed in 1965 by University of Florida researchers, and was first made and sold by Stokely-Van Camp. In 1987 Gatorade was bought by the Quaker Oats Company. In 2000 PepsiCo purchased the brand and by 2010 it was the company’s fourth most successful brand.
Lipton – UK – 3,500M
FACT: Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Unilever. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder Sir Thomas Lipton.
Mountain Dew – USA – 2,819M
FACT: Mountain Dew is a carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. A revised formula was created by Bill Bridgforth in 1958. The rights to this formula were obtained by the Tip Corporation of Marion, Virginia.
Fanta – USA – 2,694M
FACT: Fanta is an orange soda drink. It was created in Germany in 1940. Fanta was created during World War II in Nazi Germany by the German Coca Cola (GmbH) bottling company. Because of the war, there was no shipping between Nazi Germany and the United States. Therefore, the German bottling plant could no longer get Coca Cola syrup.
I found it surprising to note that big-name brands like Dr Pepper, 7-Up and Evian didn’t make it into the top ten, but I do think that just goes to show how close the numbers are each year. Do you drink any of these drinks? Do you drink something else? If you do why not leave a comment and let us know.