The Food That Built America returns with a new episode, “Citrus Soda Stars,” airing on History on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. The episode looks into the early 20th-century American soda industry, specifically the stories of Charles Leiper Grigg and brothers Ali and Barney Hartman.
In a crowded market dominated by cola giants Coke and Pepsi, Charles Leiper Grigg, a small-time soda maker from St. Louis, introduces a daring new product: a clear, lemon-lime soda named “7-Up.” Unbeknownst to him, Ali and Barney Hartman, two brothers from Tennessee, have created a nearly identical drink. Their original intention was to use it as a mixer for their personal lemon-lime cocktails, but they decide to release it to the public as “Mountain Dew.”
Both 7-Up and Mountain Dew would go on to evolve significantly from their initial concepts, but their impact on the industry would be undeniable. The episode explores how these two sodas, born from similar ideas, cracked open the market and left a lasting legacy.
The Food That Built America: Citrus Soda Stars airs Sunday, July 21, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. on History.
