CCSI Cork Crowncap Database - Brewer/Bottler
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 Brewer/bottler #3522 | | | Name | National Pepsi-Cola Corporation of Virginia |
| | Address | 1224 West Broad Street |
| | | | | | | | Extra info | In 1923, Richmond Virginia became the second home of Pepsi-Cola. The Pepsi-Cola Corporation of Virginia was formed by Roy Megargel, a Wall Street broker who purchased the trademark, formula and good will of New Bern, N.C. for $35,000. For the next eight years, Pepsi-Cola concentrate was manufactured here and shipped to bottlers, but not made from the original formula. The story goes that the original formula was lost in a bank in Richmond, thereby the syrup manufactured never met the original standards that were created by Caleb Bradham at his soda fountain in the mid 1890's.
The new home of Pepsi-Cola, located at 1224 West Broad Street was acquired from Old Dominion Beverage Company, and was considered to be one of the finest plants of its kind in the South. It was a four story structure of steel and concrete with approximately 50,000 square feet of floor space. The plant worked on a gravity feed system and from the time the sugar was poured in the shifters on the top floor until the product was read for shipment, the product was untouched by human hands. Quality was top priority to insure the product was the best it could be.
When Old Dominion Beverage Company was acquired, a soft drink called "Taka-Cola" was being produced at the plant in an eight-sided bottle. The new Pepsi company ground down the alternate faces that were embossed with "Taka-Cola" and used the bottles until they could get their own made which was an eight-sided bottle embossed with "Pepsi-Cola." This bottle design was used for four years (1924-1927).
The "Roaring Twenties" were not good for the Pepsi-Cola Corporation of Virginia. In 1928, after losing money since the start, Megargel decided to reorganize with the intent to sell the shares of the new corporation to the public, which became known as the " National Pepsi-Cola Corporation." However, buy-in was not good and the deficit continued to grow. The Wall Street crash of 1929 provided the final blow and Megargel was unable to continue operations. on June 8, 1931, the National Pepsi-Cola Corporation filed for bankruptcy- the second bankruptcy in Pepsi-Cola history.
A diverse economy kept Richmond from being among the hardest hit by the depression following the stock market crash. Unfortunately, the National Pepsi-Cola Corporation was not among the survivors, ending the early role Richmond played in the journey of Pepsi-Cola from a small drugstore in New Bern, N.C. to the World Headquarters of Pepsico, Inc. in New York City. The building survived, used off and on by other manufacturers but the proud embossed concrete sign, "NATIONAL PEPSI-COLA CORPORATION" remained at the top center of the building until it was destroyed in early 2000. |
| | | | | | | Other names used for this Brewer/bottler | | Name 1 | Pepsi-Cola Corporation of Virginia |
| | | Name 2 | Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. (Richmond, VA) |
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