1 00:00:01,958 --> 00:00:03,542 - [Narrator] Walk into any supermarket 2 00:00:03,542 --> 00:00:08,292 and you're sure to find an aisle dedicated to soda, 3 00:00:09,458 --> 00:00:14,292 an ever evolving rainbow of colors and flavors. 4 00:00:15,292 --> 00:00:18,792 - Cola, vanilla cola, cherry cola, 5 00:00:18,792 --> 00:00:21,333 sugar free, no caffeine. 6 00:00:21,333 --> 00:00:23,708 I mean, heck, there's even a CBD soda now. 7 00:00:25,667 --> 00:00:28,708 - When you look at the amount of variety we have 8 00:00:28,708 --> 00:00:32,292 in terms of soda flavors in the modern marketplace, 9 00:00:32,292 --> 00:00:34,458 the 1920s seemed like the dark ages. 10 00:00:36,458 --> 00:00:38,208 - If people were talking about soda, 11 00:00:38,208 --> 00:00:41,542 it primarily meant a liquid that was brown. 12 00:00:41,542 --> 00:00:45,417 - Coca-Cola and Pepsi were the soda giants. 13 00:00:45,417 --> 00:00:47,375 They controlled the soda market, 14 00:00:49,042 --> 00:00:51,667 - [Narrator] But a small-time bottler 15 00:00:52,250 --> 00:00:54,208 dares to dream big. 16 00:00:54,208 --> 00:00:57,375 - 7UP single-handedly introduces the entire country 17 00:00:57,375 --> 00:01:00,208 to a unique lemon and lime flavor. 18 00:01:00,208 --> 00:01:03,208 - [Narrator] Turning the beverage world on its side. 19 00:01:03,208 --> 00:01:05,542 - A clear soda? 20 00:01:05,542 --> 00:01:07,667 - [Narrator] And opening the floodgates 21 00:01:07,667 --> 00:01:09,125 to a limitless market. 22 00:01:09,125 --> 00:01:10,625 - The Uncola. 23 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,250 - The name Mountain Dew refers to moonshine. 24 00:01:16,250 --> 00:01:18,500 - Yahoo, Mountain Dew! 25 00:01:19,958 --> 00:01:21,875 - [Narrator] These daring pioneers 26 00:01:21,875 --> 00:01:24,292 will take the market to new heights. 27 00:01:24,292 --> 00:01:26,583 - Imagine, like, a madman's laboratory. 28 00:01:26,583 --> 00:01:30,250 They're willing to really keep upping the caffeine. 29 00:01:31,708 --> 00:01:33,833 - Mountain Dew was the godfather 30 00:01:33,833 --> 00:01:35,333 of the energy drink movement. 31 00:01:36,250 --> 00:01:38,125 - Delicious, what's in it? 32 00:01:38,125 --> 00:01:40,208 - More sugar than you could possibly imagine. 33 00:01:40,208 --> 00:01:42,542 - There is no such thing as too much sugar, 34 00:01:42,542 --> 00:01:45,000 but he learns very quickly that there is such a thing 35 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:46,625 as too much caffeine. 36 00:01:46,625 --> 00:01:49,042 [dramatic music] 37 00:01:49,042 --> 00:01:51,583 - I guess that's what you call doing the Dew. 38 00:01:54,167 --> 00:01:56,458 [dramatic music] 39 00:02:16,292 --> 00:02:19,042 - [Narrator] In the early 1900s, 40 00:02:19,042 --> 00:02:22,750 America's soda market is ruled by two cola kings, 41 00:02:23,875 --> 00:02:25,625 Coca-Cola and Pepsi. 42 00:02:26,542 --> 00:02:28,208 - These two companies are massive 43 00:02:28,208 --> 00:02:30,750 and it's them battling it out for control 44 00:02:30,750 --> 00:02:32,125 of the entire industry. 45 00:02:32,125 --> 00:02:34,708 Anytime someone else enters, they get crushed. 46 00:02:35,792 --> 00:02:38,292 - [Narrator] Small-town bottlers and soda makers 47 00:02:38,292 --> 00:02:40,167 have little hope of breaking through 48 00:02:41,375 --> 00:02:44,208 and are forced to concoct non-cola sodas 49 00:02:44,208 --> 00:02:46,208 for their local pharmacies to sell. 50 00:02:47,208 --> 00:02:48,333 - They just started making syrups. 51 00:02:48,333 --> 00:02:50,458 They'd have whatever was local. 52 00:02:50,458 --> 00:02:52,333 They'd have lemon, they'd have lime. 53 00:02:54,375 --> 00:02:56,500 - [Narrator] Then, the onset of World War I 54 00:02:56,500 --> 00:02:59,375 offers new opportunities. 55 00:02:59,375 --> 00:03:00,958 - President Woodrow Wilson feels like he needs 56 00:03:00,958 --> 00:03:03,750 to allocate resources towards the World War I fight. 57 00:03:04,750 --> 00:03:07,292 And in the process, he takes away production 58 00:03:07,292 --> 00:03:09,958 and resources that would otherwise be used 59 00:03:09,958 --> 00:03:11,417 in the production of alcohol. 60 00:03:14,833 --> 00:03:16,083 Because of that, 61 00:03:16,083 --> 00:03:18,958 the temperance movement finds ammunition 62 00:03:18,958 --> 00:03:21,125 in moving their cause forward. 63 00:03:21,125 --> 00:03:23,417 [tense music] 64 00:03:23,417 --> 00:03:26,458 - [Narrator] In 1920, the Prohibition era begins 65 00:03:26,458 --> 00:03:28,417 in the United States. 66 00:03:28,417 --> 00:03:31,042 - The 18th Amendment specifically prohibits 67 00:03:31,042 --> 00:03:34,708 the transport, production, and sale of alcoholic beverages 68 00:03:34,708 --> 00:03:35,917 in the United States. 69 00:03:38,292 --> 00:03:41,083 - [Narrator] As Americans search for a stand-in for booze, 70 00:03:41,083 --> 00:03:43,792 soda sales leap by 200% 71 00:03:43,792 --> 00:03:46,833 and soda fountains pop up across the country. 72 00:03:49,167 --> 00:03:50,708 - After Prohibition, 73 00:03:50,708 --> 00:03:53,042 there were 100,000 soda fountains in the United States. 74 00:03:53,042 --> 00:03:55,292 Before Prohibition, there were 4,000. 75 00:03:55,292 --> 00:03:57,542 [tense music] 76 00:04:02,375 --> 00:04:04,250 - [Narrator] Smelling a potential windfall, 77 00:04:04,250 --> 00:04:06,875 small-time soda maker, Charles Leiper Grigg, 78 00:04:06,875 --> 00:04:12,292 opens a soda bottling plant called Howdy in 1920. 79 00:04:12,292 --> 00:04:14,708 - Charles Leiper Grigg had humble beginnings. 80 00:04:14,708 --> 00:04:17,500 He lived in a log cabin, grew up in a small town, 81 00:04:17,500 --> 00:04:20,208 and for many years, ran a general store. 82 00:04:20,208 --> 00:04:23,375 But he had gumption, he had stubbornness. 83 00:04:23,375 --> 00:04:27,208 He wanted to move to the city and run his own business. 84 00:04:27,208 --> 00:04:29,208 - He started out working in the advertising field 85 00:04:29,208 --> 00:04:30,417 where he became introduced 86 00:04:30,417 --> 00:04:33,083 to the world of carbonated beverages, 87 00:04:33,083 --> 00:04:36,250 and he started tinkering around with formulas of his own. 88 00:04:38,583 --> 00:04:40,875 - [Narrator] Grigg is hoping that a new kind of soda 89 00:04:40,875 --> 00:04:45,042 he's working on will help him break into the national market. 90 00:04:45,042 --> 00:04:47,333 - He's gonna use the zest and oils 91 00:04:47,333 --> 00:04:50,375 from real orange peels to flavor his soda. 92 00:04:50,375 --> 00:04:52,542 - [Narrator] Grigg calls his soda "Howdy", 93 00:04:52,542 --> 00:04:54,375 after his bottling plant. 94 00:04:54,375 --> 00:04:56,792 - There wasn't a leading brand in orange soda. 95 00:04:56,792 --> 00:04:59,708 So that's what they were really trying to do with Howdy. 96 00:04:59,708 --> 00:05:01,500 They thought, there's an opportunity 97 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:04,500 to become the Coca-Cola of orange soda. 98 00:05:05,750 --> 00:05:09,375 - [Narrator] In 1921, after securing large bank loans, 99 00:05:09,375 --> 00:05:12,958 Grigg prepares to launch his soda nationwide. 100 00:05:14,167 --> 00:05:17,917 - And in the landscape of just colas, 101 00:05:17,917 --> 00:05:22,500 the first orange soda is bound to be a massive hit. 102 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:24,000 And they are right. 103 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,500 The only problem is, it was made by somebody else. 104 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:29,292 - [Narrator] Howdy is beaten to the market 105 00:05:29,292 --> 00:05:32,208 by a new soda called Orange Crush, 106 00:05:32,208 --> 00:05:34,375 and a recommendation from the U.S. government 107 00:05:34,375 --> 00:05:37,083 is about to spell disaster for Howdy. 108 00:05:37,083 --> 00:05:39,375 - So the FDA comes along 109 00:05:39,375 --> 00:05:41,042 and they start recommending people 110 00:05:41,042 --> 00:05:43,792 to take in vitamin C in their diet. 111 00:05:43,792 --> 00:05:47,000 - The problem was, because Howdy used orange essential oils 112 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,667 and zest, it didn't actually contain any vitamin C. 113 00:05:50,667 --> 00:05:53,333 - Orange Crush contained actual orange juice, 114 00:05:53,333 --> 00:05:55,833 and that gave it such a competitive advantage. 115 00:05:55,833 --> 00:05:59,500 - So Orange Crush literally crushes the competition. 116 00:06:01,375 --> 00:06:03,667 [tense music] 117 00:06:04,667 --> 00:06:06,750 - [Narrator] It's a devastating blow for Grigg, 118 00:06:06,750 --> 00:06:09,500 who's not only invested time and energy, 119 00:06:09,500 --> 00:06:11,708 he's also now in debt. 120 00:06:13,333 --> 00:06:16,417 - So Grigg realizes with Orange Crush, 121 00:06:16,417 --> 00:06:18,417 he just doesn't have a chance. 122 00:06:18,417 --> 00:06:21,417 So for Grigg, it's back to the drawing board. 123 00:06:21,417 --> 00:06:23,000 And he's looking at the landscape, 124 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,875 he's looking at the opportunities to do a drink 125 00:06:24,875 --> 00:06:26,917 that's gonna incorporate vitamin C, right? 126 00:06:26,917 --> 00:06:30,125 That's gonna sort of hit that FDA suggestion. 127 00:06:30,125 --> 00:06:31,917 - So with orange out of the question, 128 00:06:31,917 --> 00:06:35,417 he pivots to another citrus: lemon. 129 00:06:37,875 --> 00:06:41,542 The thing is, there's obviously an appeal for lemon sodas 130 00:06:41,542 --> 00:06:45,583 because there are 600 independent lemon sodas 131 00:06:45,583 --> 00:06:48,708 on the market, but there's no market leader. 132 00:06:48,708 --> 00:06:50,500 No one's really been able 133 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:53,500 to really break the stranglehold on the soda market. 134 00:06:54,708 --> 00:06:58,292 - So Grigg starts work on creating his lemon soda. 135 00:06:58,292 --> 00:07:01,042 It starts off with lemon flavor. 136 00:07:01,042 --> 00:07:04,000 Obviously, you're adding sugar because it's a soda. 137 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,708 You need sugar to kinda help with the taste. 138 00:07:06,708 --> 00:07:09,417 Putting in caffeine makes it a little more bitter, 139 00:07:09,417 --> 00:07:11,208 which means, well, you know, 140 00:07:11,208 --> 00:07:12,667 if we're gonna have caffeine in this, 141 00:07:12,667 --> 00:07:14,542 we need to up the sugar content. 142 00:07:14,542 --> 00:07:18,042 Well, sugar's expensive, let's leave out the caffeine. 143 00:07:18,042 --> 00:07:19,875 - [Narrator] But despite weeks of experimenting 144 00:07:19,875 --> 00:07:22,125 with various lemon soda blends... 145 00:07:25,042 --> 00:07:26,792 - Still too sour. 146 00:07:28,625 --> 00:07:30,875 - [Narrator] Grigg isn't convinced any of his formulas 147 00:07:30,875 --> 00:07:33,542 have what it takes to compete with cola. 148 00:07:38,542 --> 00:07:39,875 - [Charles] Good afternoon. 149 00:07:41,208 --> 00:07:43,500 - [Narrator] Finally, he heads to a local soda fountain 150 00:07:43,500 --> 00:07:45,083 in search of inspiration. 151 00:07:50,583 --> 00:07:52,167 - What can I get you? 152 00:07:52,167 --> 00:07:53,583 - Lemon soda, please. 153 00:07:53,583 --> 00:07:55,125 - [Soda Jerk] We're all out. 154 00:07:55,125 --> 00:07:56,500 - I'll try lime then. 155 00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:57,875 - You got it. 156 00:07:57,875 --> 00:07:59,958 [tense music] 157 00:08:18,708 --> 00:08:21,042 - [Narrator] Inspired by his trip to the soda fountain, 158 00:08:21,042 --> 00:08:26,250 Grigg gets to work on an idea for a whole new flavor. 159 00:08:26,250 --> 00:08:27,917 - So Charles said, let's come up 160 00:08:27,917 --> 00:08:29,125 with something a little different. 161 00:08:29,125 --> 00:08:31,125 Why not just throw some lime in there? 162 00:08:31,125 --> 00:08:32,708 Everyone loves lemon. 163 00:08:32,708 --> 00:08:34,792 Lime is great, too. 164 00:08:34,792 --> 00:08:38,042 Everyone's going crazy about vitamin C. 165 00:08:38,042 --> 00:08:42,000 - I think people very easily equate lemon and limes 166 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,875 as being essentially the same thing, but different colors. 167 00:08:44,875 --> 00:08:47,958 But they do have remarkably different flavors. 168 00:08:47,958 --> 00:08:52,042 Lemon has a much, sort of thinner taste. 169 00:08:52,042 --> 00:08:56,750 Lime is way more substantial, a lot more bracing. 170 00:08:56,750 --> 00:08:59,292 - The lime, it gives you an extra little pop 171 00:08:59,292 --> 00:09:00,875 of flavor in your mouth 172 00:09:00,875 --> 00:09:03,625 and it really sorta wakes up the taste buds. 173 00:09:03,625 --> 00:09:07,542 - And obviously, the more taste buds that are activated, 174 00:09:07,542 --> 00:09:10,917 the more alive with flavor your mouth feels. 175 00:09:11,958 --> 00:09:14,625 - That's it, I think we have a winner. 176 00:09:15,667 --> 00:09:18,000 [tense music] 177 00:09:19,125 --> 00:09:20,708 - [Narrator] After landing on a formula 178 00:09:20,708 --> 00:09:22,542 he believes will be a hit, 179 00:09:22,542 --> 00:09:25,583 Grigg immediately calls his friend, Frank Gladney. 180 00:09:28,417 --> 00:09:31,917 - Okay, what's so important it couldn't wait until morning? 181 00:09:33,458 --> 00:09:35,208 - Frank Gladney was a successful lawyer. 182 00:09:35,208 --> 00:09:38,167 He had argued in front of the Supreme Court. 183 00:09:38,167 --> 00:09:40,583 - [Narrator] Grigg's hoping a taste of his new soda 184 00:09:40,583 --> 00:09:43,292 will prompt Gladney to invest as a partner. 185 00:09:44,375 --> 00:09:45,708 - A clear soda? 186 00:09:45,708 --> 00:09:48,000 [tense music] 187 00:09:53,208 --> 00:09:54,583 The lemon is... 188 00:09:54,583 --> 00:09:56,167 - It's lime. 189 00:09:56,167 --> 00:09:57,917 - Instead of lemon? 190 00:09:57,917 --> 00:09:59,083 - It's both. 191 00:10:06,667 --> 00:10:08,458 - [Narrator] After persuading Frank Gladney 192 00:10:08,458 --> 00:10:10,000 to invest as a partner, 193 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,792 Charles Grigg now needs to convince a cola-loving nation 194 00:10:13,792 --> 00:10:15,917 to try something new. 195 00:10:15,917 --> 00:10:18,708 - Being able to go up against industry giants 196 00:10:18,708 --> 00:10:20,500 like Coca-Cola or Pepsi 197 00:10:20,500 --> 00:10:23,542 is not an easy feat for most companies, 198 00:10:23,542 --> 00:10:25,458 let alone a small bottling company 199 00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:27,375 competing in the same market. 200 00:10:27,375 --> 00:10:31,042 And they have to be able to offer value, unique value. 201 00:10:31,042 --> 00:10:32,792 - [Narrator] Grigg knows the caffeine 202 00:10:32,792 --> 00:10:36,833 in cola provides consumers with an added pick-me-up. 203 00:10:36,833 --> 00:10:38,792 - So what they said to themselves was, 204 00:10:38,792 --> 00:10:40,042 "Let's do the opposite." 205 00:10:40,042 --> 00:10:42,208 So what is he put in it? Lithium. 206 00:10:44,042 --> 00:10:47,375 As nuts as that sounds, it was a real thing. 207 00:10:47,375 --> 00:10:48,917 Let's put some lithium in there. 208 00:10:48,917 --> 00:10:51,875 - [Narrator] Today, lithium is known as a powerful drug, 209 00:10:51,875 --> 00:10:54,625 often used to treat mental health issues. 210 00:10:54,625 --> 00:10:56,208 But in the early 20th century, 211 00:10:56,208 --> 00:10:59,000 its medicinal values were less understood. 212 00:10:59,958 --> 00:11:03,208 - Lithium, for a time, replaced table salt. 213 00:11:03,208 --> 00:11:06,042 And the idea was that this was natural, 214 00:11:06,042 --> 00:11:09,292 that this was calming, and that this was good for you. 215 00:11:09,292 --> 00:11:11,875 And he thinks, wait, maybe a little hit of that 216 00:11:11,875 --> 00:11:14,958 would be good to add to my soft drink formula. 217 00:11:14,958 --> 00:11:16,333 - [Narrator] While there were some 218 00:11:16,333 --> 00:11:19,125 small label seltzer brands that contained lithium, 219 00:11:19,125 --> 00:11:23,792 no national soda had ever included it as an ingredient. 220 00:11:24,792 --> 00:11:26,958 - So if you think of Coca-Cola as a drink 221 00:11:26,958 --> 00:11:28,583 that would give you more energy, 222 00:11:28,583 --> 00:11:30,708 Lithium makes you more mellow. 223 00:11:30,708 --> 00:11:33,083 It gave you a good feel and it wasn't alcohol. 224 00:11:33,083 --> 00:11:35,333 It was sort of temperance by technicality. 225 00:11:36,792 --> 00:11:38,333 - [Narrator] Grigg doesn't know it yet, 226 00:11:39,875 --> 00:11:42,875 but he's just found one of the key ingredients 227 00:11:42,875 --> 00:11:44,667 that will crack the industry open 228 00:11:46,542 --> 00:11:48,917 and leave the big cola kings 229 00:11:50,125 --> 00:11:53,333 scrambling to compete with his revolutionary brand. 230 00:11:53,333 --> 00:11:55,458 [dramatic music] 231 00:12:02,375 --> 00:12:06,458 - [Narrator] In 1929, after two years of development, 232 00:12:06,458 --> 00:12:09,875 Charles Grigg finally releases his new creation, 233 00:12:11,042 --> 00:12:14,167 Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. 234 00:12:15,083 --> 00:12:18,917 - Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. 235 00:12:20,250 --> 00:12:22,708 Wow, sounds refreshing. 236 00:12:22,708 --> 00:12:24,708 Said nobody ever. 237 00:12:25,792 --> 00:12:27,208 - It's a tongue twister 238 00:12:27,208 --> 00:12:29,917 and it's about as on the nose as you can get. 239 00:12:29,917 --> 00:12:33,167 This isn't, like, the most genius of branding. 240 00:12:33,167 --> 00:12:35,458 - At first, sales were really slow. 241 00:12:35,458 --> 00:12:37,375 It's not really catching on. 242 00:12:38,917 --> 00:12:40,667 - [Narrator] With little money for marketing, 243 00:12:40,667 --> 00:12:42,208 Grigg and Gladney's plan 244 00:12:42,208 --> 00:12:45,083 is to slowly build a word-of-mouth following. 245 00:12:46,167 --> 00:12:48,667 - So having missed the boat with his orange soda, 246 00:12:48,667 --> 00:12:50,208 with his brand new formulation, 247 00:12:50,208 --> 00:12:52,625 Grigg is convinced he's going to have a hit. 248 00:12:52,625 --> 00:12:54,208 It's meant to sort of relax you 249 00:12:54,208 --> 00:12:58,125 and it's got a unique flavor profile that nothing else has. 250 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:03,125 But Grigg must have broken a mirror under a ladder 251 00:13:03,125 --> 00:13:06,042 while crossing paths with a black cat, 252 00:13:06,042 --> 00:13:09,542 because he launches his soda 253 00:13:09,542 --> 00:13:11,750 at the single worst possible time. 254 00:13:13,250 --> 00:13:15,875 - [Narrator] Just two weeks after its release, 255 00:13:15,875 --> 00:13:17,708 the stock market crashes, 256 00:13:17,708 --> 00:13:21,292 plunging America into what will soon be known 257 00:13:21,292 --> 00:13:23,167 as the Great Depression. 258 00:13:24,625 --> 00:13:26,708 - Most businesses across the U.S. are in 259 00:13:26,708 --> 00:13:28,500 a complete panic at this point, 260 00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:30,792 but especially the ones that are hoping to build 261 00:13:30,792 --> 00:13:33,250 and grow their brand without a lot of marketing. 262 00:13:34,292 --> 00:13:36,042 - [Narrator] But for Grigg and Gladney, 263 00:13:36,042 --> 00:13:38,708 things take an unexpected turn. 264 00:13:38,708 --> 00:13:40,500 - When life hands you lemons, 265 00:13:42,083 --> 00:13:44,333 add limes, and lithium. 266 00:13:46,042 --> 00:13:48,333 - [Narrator] Thanks to its antidepressant properties, 267 00:13:48,333 --> 00:13:51,417 the soda's lithium becomes a big draw. 268 00:13:51,417 --> 00:13:53,542 - It's sold during the Great Depression 269 00:13:53,542 --> 00:13:56,417 and people wanted to sort of be lifted up emotionally 270 00:13:56,417 --> 00:13:59,250 because what was happening outside their door, 271 00:13:59,250 --> 00:14:00,750 maybe and inside their pocket books, 272 00:14:00,750 --> 00:14:02,042 wasn't gonna make them happy. 273 00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:03,625 But if this soda could make them feel 274 00:14:03,625 --> 00:14:06,250 a little bit better, they were gonna take that. 275 00:14:06,250 --> 00:14:09,042 - If you think about the context of the Prohibition 276 00:14:09,042 --> 00:14:11,208 and the fact that Americans were struggling 277 00:14:11,208 --> 00:14:13,833 through an era where they couldn't drink, 278 00:14:13,833 --> 00:14:15,250 why not go to the soda fountain 279 00:14:15,250 --> 00:14:17,792 and get your fix in a different way? 280 00:14:17,792 --> 00:14:19,958 - [Narrator] But before Grigg and Gladney have the chance 281 00:14:19,958 --> 00:14:21,542 to celebrate their success, 282 00:14:23,917 --> 00:14:26,083 they're thrown yet another curve ball. 283 00:14:26,958 --> 00:14:29,333 [tense music] 284 00:14:30,333 --> 00:14:33,292 - Prohibition ends and that means everyone's drinking again. 285 00:14:33,292 --> 00:14:35,375 So suddenly, the advantage that soda has 286 00:14:35,375 --> 00:14:38,583 in the marketplace completely disappears. 287 00:14:38,583 --> 00:14:41,042 - Alcoholic beverages are back. 288 00:14:41,042 --> 00:14:44,250 So if you're adding lithium to your soda 289 00:14:44,250 --> 00:14:47,208 to help people chill out, they've got other options now. 290 00:14:47,208 --> 00:14:50,500 They've got wine, they've got beer, they've got vodka. 291 00:14:52,208 --> 00:14:55,417 - Soft drinks had enjoyed a huge boom during Prohibition, 292 00:14:55,417 --> 00:14:58,333 and now that could all come crashing down. 293 00:14:58,333 --> 00:15:00,375 - [Narrator] While this could spell disaster 294 00:15:00,375 --> 00:15:04,792 for Grigg and Gladney, it spells opportunity for others. 295 00:15:04,792 --> 00:15:07,083 [tense music] 296 00:15:12,333 --> 00:15:14,958 Two brothers, Ally and Barney Hartman, 297 00:15:14,958 --> 00:15:18,083 relocate from Georgia to set up a bottling plant 298 00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:20,542 at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains 299 00:15:20,542 --> 00:15:22,167 in Knoxville, Tennessee. 300 00:15:22,167 --> 00:15:25,042 - The Hartman brothers were bottling plant owners 301 00:15:25,042 --> 00:15:27,208 and businessmen in Georgia, 302 00:15:27,208 --> 00:15:30,375 and they were making Orange Crush. 303 00:15:30,375 --> 00:15:31,667 It's going well. 304 00:15:31,667 --> 00:15:34,042 Then the Great Depression comes and wipes them out. 305 00:15:35,125 --> 00:15:37,208 - [Narrator] While their Georgia plant faltered 306 00:15:37,208 --> 00:15:40,917 during the Depression, the new plant is a fresh start. 307 00:15:40,917 --> 00:15:42,875 And with Prohibition lifted, 308 00:15:42,875 --> 00:15:45,625 they can now bottle soda and beer. 309 00:15:47,833 --> 00:15:49,875 - What do you think, little brother? 310 00:15:49,875 --> 00:15:53,250 I'll tell you what, let's have a drink. 311 00:15:53,250 --> 00:15:54,750 - Barney was the big brother. 312 00:15:54,750 --> 00:15:56,375 You know, he was the leader. 313 00:15:56,375 --> 00:15:59,083 And Ally, the little brother, looked up to him 314 00:15:59,083 --> 00:16:01,375 and, you know, he would follow him anywhere. 315 00:16:01,375 --> 00:16:04,292 And he followed him into the soda business. 316 00:16:04,292 --> 00:16:06,375 - The Hartman brothers took their job seriously, 317 00:16:06,375 --> 00:16:08,583 but they also really like to have a good time. 318 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:11,875 - And all of their business dealings, 319 00:16:11,875 --> 00:16:14,375 soda and otherwise, usually involved 320 00:16:14,375 --> 00:16:16,583 having a mixed drink at the end of the day. 321 00:16:17,875 --> 00:16:19,542 - So back in Georgia, 322 00:16:19,542 --> 00:16:21,542 the Hartman brothers really enjoyed having 323 00:16:21,542 --> 00:16:25,458 this lemon-lime soda called Natural Set Up. 324 00:16:25,458 --> 00:16:27,500 - [Narrator] While they've brought a limited supply 325 00:16:27,500 --> 00:16:28,833 with them to Knoxville, 326 00:16:28,833 --> 00:16:33,208 it's made by a small bottler local to their Georgia hometown. 327 00:16:33,208 --> 00:16:36,250 - And they couldn't find an equivalent 328 00:16:36,250 --> 00:16:39,500 to Natural Set Up in Knoxville. 329 00:16:43,208 --> 00:16:45,292 - [Narrator] The Hartmans' passion for cocktails 330 00:16:45,292 --> 00:16:49,125 will one day transform the soda industry 331 00:16:50,208 --> 00:16:54,125 when the brothers create a whole new category of soda 332 00:16:54,125 --> 00:16:57,875 and a brand worth $7 billion 333 00:16:57,875 --> 00:17:00,375 completely by accident. 334 00:17:00,375 --> 00:17:02,500 [dramatic music] 335 00:17:07,875 --> 00:17:10,125 [tense music] 336 00:17:12,333 --> 00:17:14,833 With alcohol now readily available, 337 00:17:14,833 --> 00:17:19,292 Grigg and Gladney need a new angle to position their soda 338 00:17:19,292 --> 00:17:22,000 as something that American people need. 339 00:17:24,292 --> 00:17:26,917 - A hangover, hangover cure. 340 00:17:26,917 --> 00:17:30,042 - A cure for different kinds of hangovers. 341 00:17:30,042 --> 00:17:32,292 [tense music] 342 00:17:35,125 --> 00:17:37,167 - The Hangover Cure. 343 00:17:38,792 --> 00:17:41,458 - [Narrator] To reach as wide an audience as possible, 344 00:17:41,458 --> 00:17:44,000 Grigg and Gladney come up with a list 345 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,083 of all different types of hangovers 346 00:17:46,083 --> 00:17:47,708 their soda could cure. 347 00:17:49,208 --> 00:17:52,583 - Over-drinking. [laughs] - Over-drinking. 348 00:17:52,583 --> 00:17:56,417 - And they weren't just talking about alcoholic hangovers. 349 00:17:56,417 --> 00:17:58,542 - [Charles] And, naturally, overeating. 350 00:17:58,542 --> 00:17:59,708 - Overeating. 351 00:17:59,708 --> 00:18:01,958 - It was basically saying that it's a remedy 352 00:18:01,958 --> 00:18:04,458 to any ailment you might have. 353 00:18:04,458 --> 00:18:05,792 - Over-smoking. 354 00:18:06,875 --> 00:18:08,250 - Over-smoking. 355 00:18:09,458 --> 00:18:10,708 - Over-worrying. 356 00:18:13,042 --> 00:18:14,792 Mental lassitude. 357 00:18:17,625 --> 00:18:19,042 Over-studying. 358 00:18:21,208 --> 00:18:23,042 - What about under-drinking? 359 00:18:27,250 --> 00:18:29,750 - [Narrator] While no one knows for sure, 360 00:18:29,750 --> 00:18:31,458 legend has it that their list 361 00:18:31,458 --> 00:18:34,833 of seven ailments is the inspiration behind the new name 362 00:18:34,833 --> 00:18:37,333 they decide to give their soda, 363 00:18:37,333 --> 00:18:38,458 7UP. 364 00:18:40,833 --> 00:18:42,958 [intense music] 365 00:18:42,958 --> 00:18:46,125 - Well, one thing is for sure, 7UP is a hell of a lot catchier 366 00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:49,292 than Bib's Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. 367 00:18:49,292 --> 00:18:51,000 - [Narrator] Grigg and Gladney prepare 368 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,917 to relaunch as 7UP, 369 00:18:52,917 --> 00:18:57,333 hoping their unique drink will corner the national market. 370 00:18:57,333 --> 00:19:00,833 What they don't know is that 500 miles away, 371 00:19:00,833 --> 00:19:03,208 competition is brewing. 372 00:19:03,208 --> 00:19:05,583 - Delicious, what's in it? 373 00:19:05,583 --> 00:19:08,167 - More sugar than you could possibly imagine. 374 00:19:08,167 --> 00:19:11,708 Lemon, of course, and I also added lime. 375 00:19:11,708 --> 00:19:13,792 [dramatic music] 376 00:19:17,625 --> 00:19:19,167 [glasses clink] 377 00:19:22,042 --> 00:19:24,375 music] 378 00:19:24,375 --> 00:19:26,125 - [Narrator] The Hartman brothers' plant 379 00:19:26,125 --> 00:19:27,625 is up and running 380 00:19:27,625 --> 00:19:30,792 and they've settled into life in their new community. 381 00:19:30,792 --> 00:19:33,333 - The Hartman brothers regularly hosted drink nights 382 00:19:33,333 --> 00:19:34,667 at their factory, right? 383 00:19:34,667 --> 00:19:35,750 So with their employees, 384 00:19:35,750 --> 00:19:39,208 and their specialty was a whiskey plus a mixer, 385 00:19:39,208 --> 00:19:42,500 a drink that everybody just really enjoyed. 386 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:43,917 - [Narrator] Having gone through their supply 387 00:19:43,917 --> 00:19:48,083 of their favorite mixer from back home, Natural Set Up, 388 00:19:48,083 --> 00:19:51,167 they turn to local flavor expert Billy Jones 389 00:19:51,167 --> 00:19:53,292 for help making a new one. 390 00:19:53,292 --> 00:19:56,625 - Bill Jones would work with a number of bottlers 391 00:19:56,625 --> 00:19:58,583 throughout the region for all sorts 392 00:19:58,583 --> 00:20:00,792 of different flavors and sodas. 393 00:20:00,792 --> 00:20:02,833 [tense music] 394 00:20:02,833 --> 00:20:06,417 - [Narrator] They call their unique mixer, "Personal Set Up". 395 00:20:06,417 --> 00:20:08,458 - The drink that the Hartman brothers created, 396 00:20:08,458 --> 00:20:10,833 albeit a little bit sweeter, 397 00:20:10,833 --> 00:20:13,333 really was quite similar to 7UP. 398 00:20:14,542 --> 00:20:17,917 - The Hartman brothers didn't really have any grand ambitions. 399 00:20:17,917 --> 00:20:19,917 They wanted it for their back bar 400 00:20:19,917 --> 00:20:21,542 for them and their friends. 401 00:20:21,542 --> 00:20:23,667 The idea that it would ever go on 402 00:20:23,667 --> 00:20:28,208 to become this juggernaut of a soda empire 403 00:20:28,208 --> 00:20:30,375 was the furthest thing from their imagination. 404 00:20:31,042 --> 00:20:32,458 [glasses clink] 405 00:20:35,208 --> 00:20:37,542 [tense music] 406 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,708 - [Narrator] In 1936, Grigg and Gladney are ready 407 00:20:41,708 --> 00:20:45,667 to relaunch their soda nationally as 7UP. 408 00:20:46,750 --> 00:20:49,833 - So, their strategy for breaking in 409 00:20:49,833 --> 00:20:52,417 and succeeding in the national cola market 410 00:20:52,417 --> 00:20:56,000 is do everything differently than cola in every single way. 411 00:21:00,083 --> 00:21:01,792 - What are these? 412 00:21:01,792 --> 00:21:03,250 I asked for clear. 413 00:21:03,250 --> 00:21:05,708 Clear soda, clear bottles. 414 00:21:06,875 --> 00:21:09,542 - So he knew if he put it in a clear bottle, 415 00:21:09,542 --> 00:21:12,417 people would be able to see that this is a clear soda. 416 00:21:12,417 --> 00:21:14,708 - This is what was left. 417 00:21:14,708 --> 00:21:15,875 - So in the 1930s, 418 00:21:15,875 --> 00:21:18,667 in part due to this pent up demand for alcohol, 419 00:21:18,667 --> 00:21:21,333 there's actually a shortage of clear glass 420 00:21:21,333 --> 00:21:24,125 because there's so much bottling being done. 421 00:21:24,125 --> 00:21:27,250 - He wanted the perfect bottles for this new launch, right? 422 00:21:27,250 --> 00:21:29,792 But they couldn't afford to lose any more sales. 423 00:21:31,292 --> 00:21:35,125 - [Narrator] In 1936, Grigg and Gladney launch 7UP 424 00:21:35,125 --> 00:21:36,542 in green bottles, 425 00:21:36,542 --> 00:21:39,750 marketing it as the ultimate hangover cure. 426 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,458 - So at this point, they're not really perceived as a threat 427 00:21:43,458 --> 00:21:44,875 to the other soda manufacturers. 428 00:21:44,875 --> 00:21:46,250 Like, Coke's ignoring them. 429 00:21:46,250 --> 00:21:47,958 You know, Orange Crush is ignoring them. 430 00:21:47,958 --> 00:21:50,958 And this is actually a really big competitive advantage 431 00:21:50,958 --> 00:21:54,792 for them 'cause they don't feel pressure via competition. 432 00:21:54,792 --> 00:21:57,333 And also, there's really no lemon-lime soda out there. 433 00:21:57,333 --> 00:21:58,875 So they can just go out there 434 00:21:58,875 --> 00:22:01,417 and sorta grab up this market as they build it. 435 00:22:03,458 --> 00:22:06,875 - So 7UP grew really organically, 436 00:22:06,875 --> 00:22:08,250 and before they knew it, 437 00:22:08,250 --> 00:22:11,833 they were on grocery shelves right next to Coke and Pepsi. 438 00:22:14,083 --> 00:22:15,542 - [Narrator] In its first year, 439 00:22:15,542 --> 00:22:18,542 7UP sells over 2 million gallons. 440 00:22:18,542 --> 00:22:19,875 And while it's still a ways 441 00:22:19,875 --> 00:22:23,583 behind Coca-Cola's 27 million gallon sales, 442 00:22:23,583 --> 00:22:27,542 they've got the lemon-lime market fully cornered. 443 00:22:27,542 --> 00:22:31,083 - So 7UP single-handedly introduces the entire country 444 00:22:31,083 --> 00:22:33,833 to a unique lemon and lime flavor. 445 00:22:33,833 --> 00:22:36,042 Look, it would've been crazy to think a new soda could break 446 00:22:36,042 --> 00:22:39,000 in on the national stage, especially one so different. 447 00:22:40,208 --> 00:22:42,042 But they did it. 448 00:22:42,042 --> 00:22:44,458 [relaxed music] 449 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,833 - [Narrator] By the early '40s, 450 00:22:49,833 --> 00:22:52,375 the Hartman brothers are enjoying the success 451 00:22:52,375 --> 00:22:56,208 of a thriving plant selling beer, Orange Crush, 452 00:22:56,208 --> 00:22:57,875 and now, Pepsi. 453 00:22:58,875 --> 00:23:01,583 - They saw the factory as not only a place to work, 454 00:23:01,583 --> 00:23:04,375 but to really have your friends around to hang out, right? 455 00:23:04,375 --> 00:23:06,125 [drinkers cheering] 456 00:23:07,125 --> 00:23:09,375 - [Narrator] The Hartmans' signature drink is whiskey 457 00:23:09,375 --> 00:23:11,750 and their lemon-lime mixer, Personal Set Up. 458 00:23:13,542 --> 00:23:15,750 But that's not the only thing they offer. 459 00:23:17,417 --> 00:23:20,250 - They also had plenty of moonshine around. 460 00:23:20,250 --> 00:23:22,167 And often, folks would ask for moonshine 461 00:23:22,167 --> 00:23:24,042 in its little localized slang. 462 00:23:24,042 --> 00:23:26,250 - Lemme have some mountain dew. 463 00:23:26,250 --> 00:23:30,167 - So mountain dew refers to moonshine, 464 00:23:30,167 --> 00:23:32,083 because when moonshine was made, 465 00:23:32,083 --> 00:23:35,583 it was made up in the mountains of Appalachia. 466 00:23:35,583 --> 00:23:37,417 And in the mountains in the morning, 467 00:23:37,417 --> 00:23:40,500 there's dew everywhere, hence mountain dew. 468 00:23:41,708 --> 00:23:43,500 - [Narrator] As an inside joke, 469 00:23:43,500 --> 00:23:46,583 the brothers rename their mixer, "Mountain Dew". 470 00:23:46,583 --> 00:23:49,500 But others take the drink more seriously. 471 00:23:50,583 --> 00:23:52,042 - They'd always seen it 472 00:23:52,042 --> 00:23:54,542 as just their own kind of personal drink. 473 00:23:55,458 --> 00:23:57,917 Now, people were asking to buy it. 474 00:24:00,125 --> 00:24:01,542 - The Hartman brothers, 475 00:24:01,542 --> 00:24:03,708 kind of upon the urging of their friends and family, 476 00:24:03,708 --> 00:24:07,583 decide to do a soft launch of their Personal Set Up 477 00:24:07,583 --> 00:24:10,083 at a local bottling convention. 478 00:24:10,083 --> 00:24:11,750 And the Hartman brothers decide 479 00:24:11,750 --> 00:24:14,458 to name their drink Mountain Dew. 480 00:24:16,792 --> 00:24:19,583 - [Narrator] Mountain Dew is a hit at the convention, 481 00:24:19,583 --> 00:24:22,542 not just as a mixer, but as a regular soda. 482 00:24:25,583 --> 00:24:27,417 - It's really after the convention, 483 00:24:27,417 --> 00:24:31,833 they begin to make plans to market and sell Mountain Dew. 484 00:24:31,833 --> 00:24:33,542 - [Narrator] But an unforeseen tragedy 485 00:24:33,542 --> 00:24:36,208 will soon change both Hartman brothers' lives 486 00:24:36,208 --> 00:24:40,208 and the entire formula of the beverage they created. 487 00:24:46,750 --> 00:24:48,875 - [Narrator] In 1946, the Hartman brothers 488 00:24:48,875 --> 00:24:52,667 begin planning a regional launch of Mountain Dew, 489 00:24:52,667 --> 00:24:55,833 playing off the name in the marketing around it. 490 00:24:57,708 --> 00:24:59,708 - It sounds kind of funny to think about, 491 00:24:59,708 --> 00:25:02,708 but America had a little bit of rural rage at that time 492 00:25:02,708 --> 00:25:05,875 and a little bit of a fascination with hillbillies. 493 00:25:06,792 --> 00:25:08,542 - The Hartmans didn't shy away 494 00:25:08,542 --> 00:25:10,042 from their Appalachian traditions. 495 00:25:10,042 --> 00:25:13,542 In fact, they embraced the fact that they were from Appalachia, 496 00:25:13,542 --> 00:25:16,417 the stereotypical hillbilly country, 497 00:25:16,417 --> 00:25:19,125 and they made it a lot of fun. 498 00:25:20,125 --> 00:25:22,875 - [Narrator] The Hartmans create a Mountain Dew mascot 499 00:25:24,125 --> 00:25:26,250 called Willy the Hillbilly, 500 00:25:26,250 --> 00:25:28,625 based on a real-life local. 501 00:25:29,542 --> 00:25:31,167 [glasses clink] 502 00:25:32,708 --> 00:25:35,917 - William McFalls was considered 503 00:25:35,917 --> 00:25:38,125 sort of the hillbilly James Dean. 504 00:25:38,125 --> 00:25:41,708 He was considered a a backwoods philosopher, 505 00:25:41,708 --> 00:25:43,917 a little bit of a musical savant, 506 00:25:43,917 --> 00:25:47,458 and he was known to enjoy a little bit 507 00:25:47,458 --> 00:25:49,833 of the Mountain Dew at the end of a long day at the plant. 508 00:25:49,833 --> 00:25:52,333 Famously would exclaim while drinking it, 509 00:25:52,333 --> 00:25:54,458 "Yahoo, Mountain Dew!" 510 00:25:54,458 --> 00:25:56,667 - Yahoo, Mountain Dew! 511 00:25:57,875 --> 00:25:59,917 - And it was different than Coca-Cola 512 00:25:59,917 --> 00:26:03,250 and 7UP that were marketed as patent medicines, 513 00:26:03,250 --> 00:26:04,875 things for your health. 514 00:26:04,875 --> 00:26:08,875 - So, Mountain Dew never really kind of went in 515 00:26:08,875 --> 00:26:10,875 for this soda as a healthy option. 516 00:26:10,875 --> 00:26:13,083 It's kind of a drink to have fun with. 517 00:26:13,083 --> 00:26:15,708 - [Narrator] But despite their unique marketing strategy, 518 00:26:15,708 --> 00:26:18,917 the Hartmans don't rush to officially release Mountain Dew. 519 00:26:20,750 --> 00:26:22,083 - You have to remember, 520 00:26:22,083 --> 00:26:24,167 Barney and Ally Hartman weren't trying 521 00:26:24,167 --> 00:26:26,000 to become soda moguls. 522 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,500 The other factor is that they are bottling Pepsi products. 523 00:26:30,500 --> 00:26:32,500 And they've got a good thing going, 524 00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:34,958 and they don't wanna upset the apple cart. 525 00:26:34,958 --> 00:26:37,375 - The Hartman brothers have this genius creation 526 00:26:37,375 --> 00:26:39,708 in Mountain Dew, but they're kind of just sitting on it. 527 00:26:39,708 --> 00:26:41,292 They don't really do anything with it 528 00:26:41,292 --> 00:26:42,750 for about two years, 529 00:26:42,750 --> 00:26:44,875 it takes them to even trademark the name. 530 00:26:49,208 --> 00:26:50,917 - [Narrator] But in 1949, 531 00:26:50,917 --> 00:26:53,500 Ally Hartman suddenly finds himself dealing 532 00:26:53,500 --> 00:26:55,083 with a family tragedy. 533 00:26:56,250 --> 00:26:59,292 - While they are trying to figure out next steps 534 00:26:59,292 --> 00:27:00,792 for Mountain Dew, 535 00:27:00,792 --> 00:27:04,042 Barney has a heart attack and is hospitalized, 536 00:27:04,042 --> 00:27:06,667 and unfortunately, eventually passes away. 537 00:27:07,667 --> 00:27:09,167 - [Narrator] Now, any potential future 538 00:27:09,167 --> 00:27:12,833 for Mountain Dew lays squarely on his shoulders. 539 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,042 - And Ally Hartman does not really know 540 00:27:17,042 --> 00:27:20,875 what to do without his brother in terms of his own life, 541 00:27:20,875 --> 00:27:24,000 let alone the direction in which to take the soda. 542 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,083 [tense music] 543 00:27:30,792 --> 00:27:32,500 - [Narrator] By the late '40s, 544 00:27:32,500 --> 00:27:35,083 7UP is the number three soda in America, 545 00:27:35,083 --> 00:27:39,125 only behind Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola. 546 00:27:39,125 --> 00:27:41,917 - What I especially loved about the rise of 7UP 547 00:27:41,917 --> 00:27:43,792 was the hand-to-hand combat, 548 00:27:43,792 --> 00:27:46,083 and the patience of distribution. 549 00:27:46,083 --> 00:27:49,375 First, they went kind of hand to hand, mom-and-pop local, 550 00:27:49,375 --> 00:27:50,542 but then they went premium. 551 00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:53,208 A lotta country clubs, a lot of hotels. 552 00:27:53,208 --> 00:27:55,708 And so they started to get the bougie movement, 553 00:27:55,708 --> 00:27:57,000 and they were winning on two fronts. 554 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,000 And that's when they finally showed up 555 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,083 on the supermarket shelves and were able 556 00:28:01,083 --> 00:28:03,458 to actually compete with the Pepsis and Coke, 557 00:28:03,458 --> 00:28:05,208 'cause they had demand. 558 00:28:05,208 --> 00:28:07,500 - [Narrator] But they face yet another bump in the road 559 00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:11,333 when the FDA bans lithium use in food and beverages. 560 00:28:14,042 --> 00:28:16,417 - A year before, an article was written 561 00:28:16,417 --> 00:28:18,875 about the many uses of lithium 562 00:28:18,875 --> 00:28:21,042 in treating psychiatric disorders. 563 00:28:21,042 --> 00:28:23,542 At this point, the U.S. government realized 564 00:28:23,542 --> 00:28:24,958 they had to start regulating the use 565 00:28:24,958 --> 00:28:27,250 of this substance in food and beverages. 566 00:28:27,250 --> 00:28:29,792 - So crazy as it seems now, at this stage, 567 00:28:29,792 --> 00:28:33,417 they have to really figure out, what is 7UP without it. 568 00:28:38,167 --> 00:28:40,375 - [Narrator] 7UP is also left to figure out 569 00:28:40,375 --> 00:28:43,458 what it is without its founder, Charles Grigg, 570 00:28:43,458 --> 00:28:45,208 who's recently passed away, 571 00:28:46,708 --> 00:28:49,750 leaving Gladney to forge 7UP's new path 572 00:28:49,750 --> 00:28:52,875 with marketing exec, William Winter. 573 00:28:52,875 --> 00:28:57,042 - So, lithium was banned and 7UP needed to rebrand. 574 00:28:57,042 --> 00:29:00,167 So you've got the colas and the orange drinks, 575 00:29:00,167 --> 00:29:02,500 which have the caffeine and lots of sugar, 576 00:29:02,500 --> 00:29:04,833 and they decided to do something different again, 577 00:29:04,833 --> 00:29:07,292 to differentiate themself in the marketplace. 578 00:29:09,708 --> 00:29:11,958 - What if we focus on what's not in 7UP? 579 00:29:14,333 --> 00:29:15,875 - In the 1950s, 580 00:29:15,875 --> 00:29:18,958 concerns about sugar consumption beginning to bubble up, 581 00:29:18,958 --> 00:29:23,292 7UP actually has lower sugar than some other soda does. 582 00:29:23,292 --> 00:29:26,375 - [Narrator] In addition to being lower in sugar than cola, 583 00:29:26,375 --> 00:29:28,875 it also has fewer additives. 584 00:29:28,875 --> 00:29:32,375 - So they had a clean soda, a healthier soda, 585 00:29:32,375 --> 00:29:34,792 that didn't have the high levels of caffeine 586 00:29:34,792 --> 00:29:36,708 and the lots of sugar. 587 00:29:36,708 --> 00:29:39,500 - A soda so pure a baby could drink it. 588 00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:41,792 [pensive music] 589 00:29:43,792 --> 00:29:45,208 - Let's move on this. 590 00:29:45,208 --> 00:29:48,750 - In the wake of 7UP having this reckoning, 591 00:29:48,750 --> 00:29:51,917 they start marketing 7UP as, well, 592 00:29:51,917 --> 00:29:54,000 very, very, very, very safe. 593 00:29:55,417 --> 00:29:56,958 - [Narrator] 7UP is rebranded 594 00:29:56,958 --> 00:29:59,417 with a new campaign as a wholesome 595 00:29:59,417 --> 00:30:01,708 and pure health drink. 596 00:30:01,708 --> 00:30:04,542 - So 7UP started doing adverts showing 597 00:30:04,542 --> 00:30:08,875 they are actively pushing the idea of giving 7UP to babies. 598 00:30:08,875 --> 00:30:11,542 It's suggesting mixing it in with their milk. 599 00:30:11,542 --> 00:30:13,083 And this was to reassure people 600 00:30:13,083 --> 00:30:16,167 that it was healthy and pure and good for you. 601 00:30:16,167 --> 00:30:18,292 No harm would come from drinking a 7UP. 602 00:30:20,833 --> 00:30:22,750 - [Narrator] Through this clever rebrand, 603 00:30:22,750 --> 00:30:25,125 7UP manages to maintain its dominance 604 00:30:25,125 --> 00:30:26,875 in the lemon-lime soda market. 605 00:30:29,833 --> 00:30:33,375 But they have no idea just how much competition 606 00:30:33,375 --> 00:30:34,708 is on the horizon. 607 00:30:34,708 --> 00:30:37,042 [dramatic music] 608 00:30:42,125 --> 00:30:44,292 is on the horizon] 609 00:30:48,083 --> 00:30:50,042 - [Narrator] By the early 1950s, 610 00:30:50,042 --> 00:30:52,000 Mountain Dew is finally being sold 611 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,375 to the public in the Appalachian region. 612 00:30:54,375 --> 00:30:56,208 - So after mourning the loss of his brother 613 00:30:56,208 --> 00:30:59,250 and his business partner, Ally sees a way to honor him 614 00:30:59,250 --> 00:31:02,750 by finally getting Mountain Dew off the ground. 615 00:31:02,750 --> 00:31:04,292 - It was a local drink. 616 00:31:04,292 --> 00:31:08,083 It wasn't necessarily making its rounds across this nation. 617 00:31:08,083 --> 00:31:12,208 It was kind of in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, 618 00:31:12,208 --> 00:31:13,750 and a few other surrounding states 619 00:31:13,750 --> 00:31:16,375 was kind of its main target audience. 620 00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:19,375 - [Narrator] But even as a local offering, 621 00:31:19,375 --> 00:31:22,208 sales of Mountain Dew are dismal. 622 00:31:25,417 --> 00:31:28,875 To figure out what's wrong, Ally hires an agency 623 00:31:28,875 --> 00:31:31,833 to run focus groups around Mountain Dew. 624 00:31:34,167 --> 00:31:35,875 - What's the headline? 625 00:31:35,875 --> 00:31:38,375 - They all see Mountain Dew as a knockoff of 7UP. 626 00:31:41,292 --> 00:31:44,542 - When the Hartman brothers first started making batches 627 00:31:44,542 --> 00:31:46,208 of their Personal Set Up mixer, 628 00:31:46,208 --> 00:31:49,542 7UP was really a pretty small, regional soda. 629 00:31:49,542 --> 00:31:52,958 But it takes more than a decade to get Mountain Dew to market. 630 00:31:52,958 --> 00:31:55,542 And in that time, 7UP becomes a major player. 631 00:31:55,542 --> 00:31:56,875 - No one's interested in it. 632 00:31:56,875 --> 00:31:59,208 It's just another lemon-lime soda 633 00:31:59,208 --> 00:32:02,167 with some hillbilly imagery 634 00:32:02,167 --> 00:32:05,083 and it just goes nowhere. 635 00:32:05,083 --> 00:32:07,375 - [Narrator] Ally Hartman realizes 636 00:32:07,375 --> 00:32:09,542 if Mountain Dew is going to survive, 637 00:32:09,542 --> 00:32:11,875 it needs a big change. 638 00:32:11,875 --> 00:32:14,708 And he believes it starts with the man 639 00:32:14,708 --> 00:32:17,417 who first created it, Billy Jones. 640 00:32:18,875 --> 00:32:21,167 [pensive music] 641 00:32:23,375 --> 00:32:26,375 - Billy Jones had helped Ally and his brother 642 00:32:26,375 --> 00:32:28,125 early on as they were kind of trying 643 00:32:28,125 --> 00:32:29,875 to figure out the flavor for Mountain Dew. 644 00:32:29,875 --> 00:32:31,250 So this is someone that he trusts 645 00:32:31,250 --> 00:32:33,042 that he's worked with in the past. 646 00:32:35,833 --> 00:32:37,458 - I want you to have it. 647 00:32:39,208 --> 00:32:40,458 - What? 648 00:32:40,458 --> 00:32:41,583 - Mountain Dew. 649 00:32:43,500 --> 00:32:45,542 - Ally had always seen Mountain Dew 650 00:32:45,542 --> 00:32:47,708 as something he did with his brother. 651 00:32:47,708 --> 00:32:50,000 And once his brother passed away, 652 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,583 Ally just didn't want to invest the energy 653 00:32:52,583 --> 00:32:54,583 and time reinventing this drink 654 00:32:54,583 --> 00:32:57,167 that had been a passion project for him. 655 00:32:58,083 --> 00:32:59,958 - It's yours if you want it. 656 00:32:59,958 --> 00:33:01,875 - You can't just give it to me. 657 00:33:01,875 --> 00:33:03,458 - Then I'll sell it to you 658 00:33:04,583 --> 00:33:06,542 for the cost of the check. 659 00:33:06,542 --> 00:33:08,625 [tense music] 660 00:33:14,292 --> 00:33:17,833 - Ally Hartman sells the rights to Mountain Dew 661 00:33:17,833 --> 00:33:21,083 to Billy Jones, the man who helped create a flavor formula 662 00:33:21,083 --> 00:33:25,625 for them for the price of a $7 dinner. 663 00:33:25,625 --> 00:33:27,167 - It's a little bit of a legend. 664 00:33:27,167 --> 00:33:29,417 But it's also kinda, in a sense, 665 00:33:29,417 --> 00:33:31,458 when you look at the history of Mountain Dew, 666 00:33:31,458 --> 00:33:33,958 there is a little bit of this casual flair. 667 00:33:36,500 --> 00:33:38,542 [tense music] 668 00:33:38,542 --> 00:33:41,083 - [Narrator] Jones and his team must now figure out 669 00:33:41,083 --> 00:33:44,000 how to give Mountain Dew the overhaul it needs 670 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,208 to set itself apart. 671 00:33:46,208 --> 00:33:48,667 - Something that won't taste like 7UP, 672 00:33:48,667 --> 00:33:51,583 something extremely different than a cola, 673 00:33:51,583 --> 00:33:54,208 and something that will definitely stand out 674 00:33:54,208 --> 00:33:56,042 in the marketplace. 675 00:33:56,042 --> 00:33:58,708 - [Narrator] Since 7UP is now marketed as a pure 676 00:33:58,708 --> 00:34:00,375 and healthy drink, 677 00:34:00,375 --> 00:34:02,042 they go in the opposite direction. 678 00:34:02,042 --> 00:34:03,875 - Imagine, like, a soda laboratory, 679 00:34:03,875 --> 00:34:05,667 like a madman's laboratory. 680 00:34:05,667 --> 00:34:09,583 They're willing to really keep upping the caffeine. 681 00:34:09,583 --> 00:34:13,292 - And I've actually tasted caffeine powder in a food lab, 682 00:34:13,292 --> 00:34:15,833 and it is extremely bitter. 683 00:34:15,833 --> 00:34:18,167 [dramatic music] 684 00:34:21,458 --> 00:34:24,792 It is not a pleasant taste at all, 685 00:34:24,792 --> 00:34:28,208 and you have to balance that with a lot of sugar. 686 00:34:28,208 --> 00:34:31,333 - [Narrator] Jones ultimately lands on 55 milligrams 687 00:34:31,333 --> 00:34:34,083 of caffeine per serving, 688 00:34:34,083 --> 00:34:36,500 twice the amount of caffeine as Coca-Cola. 689 00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:39,292 And with it, twice the amount of sugar. 690 00:34:39,292 --> 00:34:43,042 - And the caffeine-spiked Mountain Dew was born. 691 00:34:45,083 --> 00:34:47,042 - It was kind of, you know, 692 00:34:47,042 --> 00:34:49,292 yeah, we're junk food and we're proud of it. 693 00:34:50,417 --> 00:34:52,542 - [Narrator] But there's still a major problem. 694 00:34:52,542 --> 00:34:55,000 - It definitely makes you feel different from 7UP, 695 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,292 but it still looks the same and tastes the same as 7UP. 696 00:34:58,292 --> 00:35:00,958 - [Narrator] Until they decide to add a whole new flavor 697 00:35:00,958 --> 00:35:02,458 to their lemon-lime recipe. 698 00:35:04,042 --> 00:35:05,500 - It sounds crazy, 699 00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:08,375 but he has the idea to add orange juice to the lemon lime 700 00:35:08,375 --> 00:35:10,542 so that their soda is no longer considered 701 00:35:10,542 --> 00:35:12,208 a lemon-lime soda. 702 00:35:13,458 --> 00:35:16,250 - Mountain Dew reminds me of something 703 00:35:16,250 --> 00:35:18,042 kind of like orange sherbet. 704 00:35:18,042 --> 00:35:19,333 - If I had to describe it, 705 00:35:19,333 --> 00:35:22,208 tastes like a really bright, sunny day. 706 00:35:22,208 --> 00:35:24,125 - I think you'd be hard pressed 707 00:35:24,125 --> 00:35:27,375 to find any other soda anywhere in the world 708 00:35:27,375 --> 00:35:30,500 that really tastes quite like Mountain Dew. 709 00:35:30,500 --> 00:35:32,583 [tense music] 710 00:35:34,375 --> 00:35:36,417 - [Narrator] And to complete Mountain Dew's reinvention, 711 00:35:36,417 --> 00:35:38,500 they give it a bold new color. 712 00:35:39,875 --> 00:35:42,417 - Mountain Dew, it's the color 713 00:35:42,417 --> 00:35:44,625 of something from an alien spaceship. 714 00:35:46,375 --> 00:35:50,208 - [Narrator] In 1960, the new Mountain Dew is released. 715 00:35:51,375 --> 00:35:53,833 [cartoonish sound effects] 716 00:35:53,833 --> 00:35:56,375 - [Jason] It turned out to be this sort of magical alchemy 717 00:35:56,375 --> 00:35:58,833 of its color, and its name, and the marketing. 718 00:35:58,833 --> 00:36:01,375 - Mountain Dew! [cork pops] 719 00:36:01,375 --> 00:36:04,375 - But that caffeine level, that was a really key part 720 00:36:04,375 --> 00:36:06,792 that made Mountain Dew such a provocative 721 00:36:06,792 --> 00:36:08,625 and compelling brand. 722 00:36:08,625 --> 00:36:10,458 - [Narrator] But just as Mountain Dew starts 723 00:36:10,458 --> 00:36:13,250 to make waves in the non-cola market, 724 00:36:13,250 --> 00:36:16,667 a new challenger is about to shake things up. 725 00:36:16,667 --> 00:36:18,667 [dramatic music] 726 00:36:24,458 --> 00:36:26,083 - [Narrator] By the dawn of the '60s, 727 00:36:26,083 --> 00:36:30,000 7UP is still considered the top lemon-lime soda in America 728 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:33,417 and has gotten closer than ever to the cola bigwigs. 729 00:36:34,833 --> 00:36:37,708 - The Coca-Cola company recognized that 7UP 730 00:36:37,708 --> 00:36:41,458 had carved out a successful position in the market 731 00:36:41,458 --> 00:36:44,958 and was not going to be erased by colas. 732 00:36:44,958 --> 00:36:47,917 - [Narrator] For Coca-Cola, it's too close to ignore. 733 00:36:49,708 --> 00:36:53,208 - So, the Coca-Cola company really is looking at this, 734 00:36:53,208 --> 00:36:55,292 going, "Well, there's many millions here, 735 00:36:55,292 --> 00:36:58,417 and those millions aren't going to us." 736 00:36:58,417 --> 00:37:01,208 It doesn't see it as a threat to Coca-Cola sales, 737 00:37:01,208 --> 00:37:02,917 but sees it as a part of the market 738 00:37:02,917 --> 00:37:04,458 that it has no presence in. 739 00:37:05,375 --> 00:37:07,333 - [Narrator] The cola giant wants in 740 00:37:07,333 --> 00:37:08,833 on the lemon-lime craze. 741 00:37:09,875 --> 00:37:12,333 - And they already had the ace in the hole. 742 00:37:12,333 --> 00:37:14,542 That ace in the hole was Fanta. 743 00:37:15,875 --> 00:37:17,542 - During World War II, 744 00:37:17,542 --> 00:37:20,042 because of the conflict with the U.S. and Germany, 745 00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:21,792 German cola distributors were unable 746 00:37:21,792 --> 00:37:24,750 to get the syrup to actually make their Coca-Cola. 747 00:37:24,750 --> 00:37:27,667 And so they had to develop their own soda line, 748 00:37:27,667 --> 00:37:29,875 and that is the world-famous Fanta. 749 00:37:29,875 --> 00:37:33,667 - [Narrator] Fanta already has a lemon-lime soda. 750 00:37:34,833 --> 00:37:39,625 In 1961, Coca-Cola rebrands it for the American market 751 00:37:41,167 --> 00:37:43,125 as Sprite. 752 00:37:43,125 --> 00:37:45,417 [dramatic music] 753 00:37:45,417 --> 00:37:47,833 - So, Sprite takes off like a rocket. 754 00:37:47,833 --> 00:37:51,458 It really rips away lots of sales from 7UP. 755 00:37:51,458 --> 00:37:54,208 And part of that is because the Coca-Cola company 756 00:37:54,208 --> 00:37:57,375 has such great distribution muscle, 757 00:37:57,375 --> 00:38:01,125 it can really just elbow 7UP off the shelves 758 00:38:01,125 --> 00:38:02,625 to make way for it. 759 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,042 - [Narrator] While Sprite eats into 7UP's market share, 760 00:38:08,042 --> 00:38:11,542 Mountain Dew, with its unique formula, is flourishing. 761 00:38:11,542 --> 00:38:16,500 By 1964, it's selling roughly 10 million cases a year. 762 00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:20,125 - Bill Jones was supplying all the concentrate 763 00:38:20,125 --> 00:38:21,792 for Mountain Dew. 764 00:38:21,792 --> 00:38:24,792 And at the time, Mountain Dew was getting very, very popular. 765 00:38:26,625 --> 00:38:28,875 - [Narrator] The growth of Mountain Dew has been bigger 766 00:38:28,875 --> 00:38:32,917 and faster than Billy Jones had ever imagined. 767 00:38:32,917 --> 00:38:37,083 - Bill knew that they couldn't grow it anymore. 768 00:38:37,083 --> 00:38:41,000 He simply couldn't produce what he needed to produce. 769 00:38:42,708 --> 00:38:44,375 - [Narrator] Meanwhile, Pepsi, 770 00:38:44,375 --> 00:38:47,625 now also looking to get in on the lemon-lime market, 771 00:38:47,625 --> 00:38:49,958 makes Jones an offer for Mountain Dew. 772 00:38:51,875 --> 00:38:54,708 It sells for $4 million, 773 00:38:54,708 --> 00:38:57,833 equivalent to 39 million today. 774 00:38:57,833 --> 00:39:00,083 - And it's just this really beautiful passing 775 00:39:00,083 --> 00:39:01,875 of the highly-sugared, 776 00:39:01,875 --> 00:39:03,708 highly-caffeinated torch. 777 00:39:03,708 --> 00:39:06,458 - I guess that's what you call doing the Dew. 778 00:39:06,458 --> 00:39:08,708 [tense music] 779 00:39:10,917 --> 00:39:13,083 - [Narrator] But while Mountain Dew thrives, 780 00:39:13,083 --> 00:39:15,792 7UP is being steamrolled by Sprite. 781 00:39:17,500 --> 00:39:20,083 - People kept forgetting that it was there. 782 00:39:20,083 --> 00:39:21,667 They would do focus groups 783 00:39:21,667 --> 00:39:25,208 and they'd ask people, "What are your five favorite sodas?" 784 00:39:25,208 --> 00:39:27,042 And no one would name 7UP. 785 00:39:27,042 --> 00:39:29,917 And they're asked, "Well, why didn't you name 7UP?" 786 00:39:29,917 --> 00:39:32,958 And everyone would go, "Oh, we forgot about 7UP." 787 00:39:32,958 --> 00:39:34,583 - [Narrator] To fight back, 788 00:39:34,583 --> 00:39:38,375 7UP once again taps into the cultural zeitgeist. 789 00:39:38,375 --> 00:39:43,500 - So the 1960s was a really turbulent time 790 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:46,375 and all of these different counterculture movements 791 00:39:46,375 --> 00:39:48,458 started cropping up. 792 00:39:48,458 --> 00:39:49,750 - [Narrator] The movement rejects 793 00:39:49,750 --> 00:39:51,583 anything considered mainstream. 794 00:39:52,542 --> 00:39:55,417 This includes the well-established colas. 795 00:39:56,875 --> 00:40:00,542 7UP creates a bold, new marketing campaign, 796 00:40:00,542 --> 00:40:03,500 redefining its identity yet again. 797 00:40:05,042 --> 00:40:06,417 - The Uncola. 798 00:40:07,417 --> 00:40:10,708 - 7UP launched their Uncola campaign, 799 00:40:10,708 --> 00:40:13,000 which was a counterculture movement. 800 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,792 - [Announcer] 7UP, from sea to shining sea. 801 00:40:18,042 --> 00:40:21,750 - It took a brand that was starting to lose its appeal, 802 00:40:21,750 --> 00:40:24,792 starting to be forgotten, and gave it a new life. 803 00:40:26,125 --> 00:40:29,458 - So many brands hold onto the one thing they were 804 00:40:29,458 --> 00:40:31,625 and don't actually react to the market. 805 00:40:31,625 --> 00:40:35,875 The 7UP story and journey is a perfect indication of, 806 00:40:35,875 --> 00:40:39,875 you've gotta change with the times and consumer truths. 807 00:40:39,875 --> 00:40:42,917 - [Narrator] Within a year, they're up 56%, 808 00:40:42,917 --> 00:40:46,458 reclaiming their throne as the leading lemon-lime soda. 809 00:40:46,458 --> 00:40:48,625 - 7UP held onto that title for a decade, 810 00:40:48,625 --> 00:40:50,875 which when you consider that they're an independent company 811 00:40:50,875 --> 00:40:53,042 and they're up against Coca-Cola, 812 00:40:53,042 --> 00:40:54,667 is pretty amazing. 813 00:40:54,667 --> 00:40:57,792 - [Narrator] While 7UP lags behind Sprite today, 814 00:40:57,792 --> 00:41:01,042 it is still one of the top 10 most popular soda brands, 815 00:41:01,042 --> 00:41:03,750 bringing in almost a billion dollars a year. 816 00:41:03,750 --> 00:41:08,250 - There is always a way to position your product 817 00:41:08,250 --> 00:41:11,458 to be the perfect product of the age. 818 00:41:11,458 --> 00:41:13,250 And so if people are depressed, 819 00:41:13,250 --> 00:41:15,333 your product being an antidepressant. 820 00:41:15,333 --> 00:41:17,708 If they're drunk, it's a hangover cure. 821 00:41:17,708 --> 00:41:20,958 And if they are neither, it is simply an alternative 822 00:41:20,958 --> 00:41:25,250 to colas that can still bring you refreshment and enjoyment. 823 00:41:25,250 --> 00:41:27,625 And without the advent of 7UP, 824 00:41:27,625 --> 00:41:29,542 we never really could have seen 825 00:41:29,542 --> 00:41:31,875 what the soda marketplace could be. 826 00:41:31,875 --> 00:41:34,333 - There is something to be said for Griggs 827 00:41:34,333 --> 00:41:36,000 and all the other kind of lemon-lime, 828 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:39,542 Mountain Dew kind of people pushing these drinks. 829 00:41:39,542 --> 00:41:41,542 They were facing an uphill challenge. 830 00:41:41,542 --> 00:41:44,625 Coca-Cola was so big, so dominant, 831 00:41:44,625 --> 00:41:46,542 that it seemed very unlikely 832 00:41:46,542 --> 00:41:49,875 they could ever create a big, successful brand. 833 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:52,292 [glasses clink] 834 00:41:52,292 --> 00:41:54,417 [tense music] 835 00:41:55,417 --> 00:41:58,250 - [Narrator] Mountain Dew is now the fourth selling brand 836 00:41:58,250 --> 00:42:02,458 in the country behind Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper. 837 00:42:03,708 --> 00:42:06,500 - Mountain Dew is almost like the forerunner 838 00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:10,167 of the energy drink movement in so many ways. 839 00:42:11,958 --> 00:42:14,208 - Tons of sugar, tons of caffeine. 840 00:42:14,208 --> 00:42:17,833 Mountain Dew was the godfather of the energy drink movement 841 00:42:17,833 --> 00:42:19,792 that we've had over the last 30 years. 842 00:42:19,792 --> 00:42:23,042 They came and went into everyone's faces, 843 00:42:23,042 --> 00:42:24,458 and it worked. 844 00:42:24,458 --> 00:42:26,750 [dramatic music]