Vess facts for kids
Vess Soda is a popular soft drink brand. It is mostly sold in the St. Louis area of Missouri, USA. Recently, you can also find it in Canada at stores like Dollarama. The company started in 1916. Sylvester Jones founded it and named it "Vess" after his own nickname.
Contents
The Story of Vess Soda
How Vess Soda Began
Sylvester Jones started Vess Soda in 1916. He used his nickname, "Vess," for the company name. A man named Charles Leiper Grigg worked for Vess. He later invented the famous drink, 7 Up. Before 7 Up, Charles Grigg created an orange soda called "Whistle." Vess still sells Whistle soda today! Whistle soda was very popular. This success helped Charles Grigg become a sales manager at Vess. However, he and Vess had disagreements. Charles Grigg eventually left the company, but Whistle soda stayed with Vess.
Growing the Flavors
The Vess company faced tough times in 1929. This was due to the stock market crash. The business was then sold to Donald Schneeberger. Donald Schneeberger was very good at marketing. He added many new flavors to the Vess soda line. Many of these flavors are still made today. At its busiest, Vess had bottling factories in several cities. These included Asheville, North Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Vess Today
In 1994, a company called Cott Beverages bought Vess. Later, in 2017, Refresco purchased Cott. This made Refresco the new owner of the Vess brand. Vess soda is still mainly sold in the Midwestern United States. Its main business is in St. Louis. In St. Louis, there is a large Vess bottle statue. This statue is a protected landmark near the famous Gateway Arch. In 2021, Folsom Distributing Company started helping Vess. They now distribute Vess products in the St. Louis area.
Vess Products You Can Buy Now
As of 2007, Vess soda comes in different sizes. You can find it in small plastic bottles and cans. It also comes in larger 2-liter and 3-liter bottles. Vess has a fun slogan: "The Billion Bubble Beverage."
Past Vess Products
Vess Chocolate Drink
In the 1980s, Vess made a chocolate drink. It was similar to another popular drink called Yoo-hoo. This Vess Chocolate drink was stopped in the mid-1990s.
Holy Cow Collectible Soda
Vess also made a special soda in 1988. It was called "Holy Cow" collectible soda. This soda came in various flavors. Each can had a picture of Harry Caray's face on it. Harry Caray was a famous sports announcer.
See also
- 7 Up
- Coca-Cola
- Pepsi-Cola
- Shasta
- The Bottle District
