Founder Profile
Caleb Bradham
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Caleb Bradham?
Caleb Bradham is a founder of PepsiCo, Inc., which was founded in 1965 with Donald M. Kendall and Herman W. Lay.
- Company founded
- PepsiCo, Inc.
- Founded
- 1965
- Co-founders
- Donald M. Kendall and Herman W. Lay
Background
Pharmacist and drugstore owner in New Bern, North Carolina, who had studied at the University of Maryland's medical school.
Founding Story
Caleb Bradham created "Brad's Drink" at his New Bern pharmacy in 1898, renamed it Pepsi-Cola and incorporated the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1902. He built a regional bottler franchise network, but sugar price swings after World War I bankrupted the company in 1923.
Caleb Bradham was born in 1867. Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Caleb Davis Bradham was born on May 27, 1867 and died on February 19, 1934. He is remembered as the pharmacist who invented Pepsi.