United Helpers Not Alone in Turning 125 This Year

 By BENNY FAIRCHILD

It’s no secret that United Helpers is turning 125 years old this year, but did you know two other iconic companies, including another with a rich history in Ogdensburg, are also celebrating their 125^th anniversary this year?

While the beverage itself, originally known as “Brad’s Drink” was first served to patrons of Bradham’s Pharmacy in 1893, the beverage we know today as Pepsi, was first branded as Pepsi-Cola in August of 1898. 

According to a timeline of the drink’s history on Pepsi’s website, Caleb Bradham created the drink using a mix of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, kola nuts, nutmeg, and “other additives.”

Pepsi also joins United Helpers as being a company with a rich history right here in the Maple City. First opening its doors in 1943, Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers has been a staple of the Ogdensburg community for more than 75 years, earning the Pepsi Corporation’s prestigious Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the year in 2011.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica online, Nabisco also has a history which dates back beyond 1898 in the form of two smaller corporations, The American Biscuit Company and the New York Biscuit Company.

It was when those two companies merged in 1898 that Nabisco, an abbreviated derivative of National Biscuit Company formed. The company’s two most famous products, Oreo Cookies and Ritz crackers, were still many years away. The encyclopedia noted Oreos hit the market in 1912, while Ritz Crackers weren’t on store shelves until 1934.