North Carolina's Cheerwine-- Part 2: Secret Formula

The exact formula for Cheerwine has never been revealed, and the company  that produces it is still owned and operated by Peeler descendants.

The popularity  of the new drink was so great that the bottling company changed its name in 1924 to the Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Company.  For many years the drink was only available in western North Carolina where it is still tremendously popular, but in 1981 the company began to expand beyond its traditional market into neighboring states.

In January 2003 Cheerwine became available in Europe for the first time through a licensing agreement with a local bottling company in Norway.

I always stock up with at least four two liter bottles of Diet Cheerwine when I visit North Carolina.

--DaCheerCoot

North Carolina's Cheerwine-- Part 1: World War I Sugar Shortages

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina "Cheerwine: by Eileen McGrath.

In 1913, L.D. Peeler and several other investors in Salisbury purchased stock in the Kentucky-based Mint-Cola Bottling Company, and Peeler started the local bottling franchise of the company.  When the parent company went bankrupt in 1917, the Salisbury investors purchased their local branch and renamed it the Carolina beverage Corporation.

In the same year, in response to a sugar shortage during World War I, Peeler sought ways to make his cola drink with less sugar.  After experimenting with different formulas, he added wild cherry flavoring to a cola to create Cheerwine.  The name comes from the drink's cherry flavor and burgundy wine color.

--Cooterwine