Kool-Aid was invented in 1927 by Edwin Perkins, a resident of Hastings, Nebraska. While working at his father’s general store, the young Perkins grew fascinated by the idea of inventing new products. He performed various experiments with foods such as Jell-O, and even patented a tobacco-based medicine known as Nix-O-Tine. After moving to Hastings in 1920, Perkins introduced locals to a sweet beverage he concocted called Fruit Smack. This soft drink concentrate was sold in six flavors and became extremely popular, though the fragile glass bottles caused shipping issues. Ever the chemist, Perkins figured out how to remove the liquid and sell the product as a mixable powder in bright paper envelopes, which he renamed “Kool-Ade.” By 1931, the product was such a hit that Perkins moved operations to Chicago, and in 1934, he again renamed the drink “Kool-Aid.” Perkins later sold Kool-Aid to General Foods — the manufacturer of Jell-O — in 1953. |