Overview
About the event
Kool Aid is the official soft drink of Nebraska, where the bright beverage has a history as colorful as its many flavors.
The story of Kool Aid began in Hastings, Nebraska. That�??s where Edwin Perkins, a man with a passion for chemistry and a knack for invention, created a delightful drink. Inspired by another household brand name, Jell-O, Perkins, initially concocted a concentrated drink mix. He called it Fruit Smack.
However, the bulky and fragile glass bottles created several distribution headaches. So, in 1927, Perkins had a genius idea �?? he removed the liquid from Fruit Smack. The result of his innovation was a convenient powdered form that he could package in envelopes. Thus, Kool-Aid was born.
The drink was first sold in wholesale grocery and candy stores at a cost of 10 cents per packet. The original packets featured six flavors: cherry, grape, lemon-lime, orange, raspberry, and strawberry. By 1929, Kool-Aid had made its way into grocery stores across the nation.
During the Great Depression, they had a setback and had to slash the price to five cents a packet. But that made Kool Aid an affordable treat for those with little money to spare.
In 1953, Perkins sold Kool-Aid to General Foods. Soon after, General Foods introduced the iconic Kool-Aid Man, who burst onto the scene with his famous catchphrase, �??Oh yeah!�?�
