Schweppes
Jacob Schweppe
In the 1760s Jacob Schweppe, a Swiss watchmaker and jeweller, began using his free time to experiment with carbonating and mineralising water. Originally this was a medical pursuit – doctors believed Schweppe’s sparkling water was beneficial to those suffering illnesses, and Schweppe gave away his product for free.
By 1783, however, Schweppe’s water had become a massive commercial endeavour, and in 1792, Schweppe moved to London to take over the international market.
Schweppe’s technique of carbonating water laid the groundwork for the huge carbonated soft drinks industry that exists today – over 190,000 billion litres of fizzy soft drinks are consumed globally each year.
Image: British Library digitised image from page 90 of “Paterson’s Guide to Edinburgh” (1883)
