The History of Kool Aid

I was working today, I’m an UBER driver, so I get a lot of time to think. I spend most of my time driving and the passengers don’t talk to me, and I like it that way. As I thought today I started thinking about Kool Aid. I wondered where it came from and why. So I looked it up.

Kool-Aid was concocted by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska. The majority of his investigations occurred in his mom’s kitchen. Its forerunner was a fluid think called Fruit Smack. That was the most popular product that Perkin’s had on sale. But there were problems with bottles breaking during transportation and other problems that ate into profits. To decrease shipping costs and handling issues, in 1927, Perkins found an approach to expel the fluid from Fruit Smack, leaving just a powder. This powder was named Kool-Aid. Perkins moved his creation to Chicago in 1931 and Kool-Aid was sold to General Foods in 1953. Hastings still praises a yearly summer celebration called Kool-Aid Days on the second end of the week in August, out of appreciation for their city’s distinguishing strength. There were 6 original flavors, raspberry (Mr. Perkins’ favorite), cherry, grape, lemon, orange and root-beer. Strawberry was added later. Kool-Aid is known as Nebraska’s authentic soda pop.

An assention between Kraft Foods and SodaStream in 2012 influenced Kool-Aid to make new and different flavors accessible for customer buys and use with SodaStream’s home pop producer machine. At one point the name of the product was Kool-Ade and then they had a name change. They had to change the name to Kool-Aid because of government regulations. It was a business that survived the Great Depression.

But Edwin Perkin’s original invention came from Hastings and Chicago also puts a claim on it. It was invented in his mother’s kitchen. Going from the best selling product of an entrepreneur who lived with his mother. To a product that can now be found in almost any home in America. Also, it spawned some imitators, but nothing beats that original Kool-Aid taste. I don’t even like to drink the new flavors personally. I’ll take a classic cherry any day of the week. However, I have to admit, I’ve never tried Root Beer Kool-Aid and that is something I will have to try. If Kool-Aid still makes that flavor that is.