PepsiCo, Inc.
The food-and-beverage giant behind Pepsi and much more.
Best known for the drink that shares part of its name, PepsiCo is far more than a soft-drink company - it is one of the world's largest food-and-beverage businesses.
PepsiCo, whose roots trace to the beverage Pepsi-Cola (dating to 1898) and later corporate formation, grew into one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies. Its portfolio spans soft drinks and snacks, and it has long been a leading rival to Coca-Cola in the beverage world.
Milestones
The Pepsi-Cola drink dates to 1898.
Pepsi becomes a popular soft drink.
PepsiCo is formed through a corporate combination.
PepsiCo expands its portfolio of drinks and snacks.
PepsiCo expands around the world.
PepsiCo operates as one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies.
- 1898Pepsi-Cola is created
The Pepsi-Cola drink dates to 1898.
- Early-mid 1900sPepsi grows
Pepsi becomes a popular soft drink.
- 1965PepsiCo is formed
PepsiCo is formed through a corporate combination.
- Late 1900sA diversified giant
PepsiCo expands its portfolio of drinks and snacks.
- Late 1900s-2000sGlobal expansion
PepsiCo expands around the world.
- 2000s-2020sA food-and-beverage leader
PepsiCo operates as one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies.
Explore this story
Many people know Pepsi as a soft drink and a rival to Coca-Cola. But the company behind it, PepsiCo, is one of the largest food-and-beverage businesses in the world.
With a portfolio spanning drinks and snacks, PepsiCo became a global consumer-goods powerhouse. Its story is one of a beverage that grew into a diversified empire.
This is the story of the company behind Pepsi and much more.
- 1898Pepsi-Cola is created
The Pepsi-Cola drink dates to 1898.
It originated in the United States as a soft drink.
Began the story behind PepsiCo.
Pepsi grew into a famous global soft drink.
- Early-mid 1900sPepsi grows
Pepsi becomes a popular soft drink.
It spread in popularity and competed with rivals.
Established Pepsi as a major brand.
Pepsi became known as a rival to Coca-Cola.
- 1965PepsiCo is formed
PepsiCo is formed through a corporate combination.
The company combined a beverage business with a snack business.
Created a diversified food-and-beverage company.
The merger broadened the company beyond drinks.
- Late 1900sA diversified giant
PepsiCo expands its portfolio of drinks and snacks.
It grew across many food and beverage categories.
Became a global consumer-goods powerhouse.
Snacks became a major part of its business.
- Late 1900s-2000sGlobal expansion
PepsiCo expands around the world.
Its products became available in most countries.
Made PepsiCo a global brand.
It competed globally with other food-and-beverage firms.
- 2000s-2020sA food-and-beverage leader
PepsiCo operates as one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies.
It offers a broad portfolio worldwide.
Cemented its role in consumer goods.
It remains a leading rival to Coca-Cola in beverages.
The Birth of Pepsi
The Pepsi-Cola drink dates to 1898, originating in the United States as a soft drink. That beverage began the story behind what would become PepsiCo.
Pepsi Grows
In the early-to-mid 1900s, Pepsi became a popular soft drink, spreading in popularity and competing with rivals. It became widely known as a rival to Coca-Cola, establishing itself as a major brand.
PepsiCo Is Formed
In 1965, PepsiCo was formed through a corporate combination that brought together a beverage business with a snack business. The merger created a diversified food-and-beverage company and broadened it well beyond drinks.
A Diversified Giant
Through the late 1900s, PepsiCo expanded its portfolio of drinks and snacks, growing across many food and beverage categories. Snacks became a major part of its business, and it grew into a global consumer-goods powerhouse.
Going Global
From the late 1900s into the 2000s, PepsiCo expanded around the world, with its products becoming available in most countries and competing globally with other food-and-beverage firms.
A Food-and-Beverage Leader
Into the 2000s and 2020s, PepsiCo operates as one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies, offering a broad portfolio worldwide and remaining a leading rival to Coca-Cola in beverages.
- Pepsi-Cola dates to 1898.
- It originated in the United States.
- Pepsi grew into a famous soft drink.
- It became a rival to Coca-Cola.
- PepsiCo was formed in 1965.
- It combined beverages and snacks.
- The merger diversified the company.
- Snacks became a major business.
- Pepsi-Cola dates to 1898.
- It originated in the United States.
- PepsiCo was formed in 1965.
- It combined a beverage and a snack business.
- The merger diversified the company.
- Snacks became a major part of the business.
- It grew across food categories.
- It expanded around the world.
PepsiCo only makes soft drinks.
It makes both beverages and snacks.
PepsiCo and Pepsi are the same single product.
Pepsi is a drink; PepsiCo is a large company with many brands.
PepsiCo was formed in the 1800s.
Pepsi-Cola dates to 1898, but PepsiCo was formed in 1965.
PepsiCo sells only in the United States.
Its products are sold in most countries.
Snacks are unimportant to PepsiCo.
Snacks are a major part of its business.
PepsiCo is a small company.
It is one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies.
Pepsi never rivaled Coca-Cola.
Pepsi has long been a leading rival to Coca-Cola.
PepsiCo never diversified.
It diversified through combining beverages and snacks.
PepsiCo has no global presence.
It is a global consumer-goods company.
PepsiCo had little business impact.
It became a major force in the food-and-beverage industry.
Note: To respect strict accuracy, verbatim quotations are omitted here because exact wording cannot be verified in this draft. PepsiCo's story is closely associated with themes of branding, diversification, and the food-and-beverage industry.
PepsiCo's legacy is growing from a single soft drink into one of the world's largest and most diversified food-and-beverage companies. By combining beverages and snacks, it became a global consumer-goods powerhouse and a lasting rival to Coca-Cola.
PepsiCo influenced the food-and-beverage industry through its scale, diversification, and global marketing. Its combination of drinks and snacks is widely studied, and its rivalry with Coca-Cola shaped decades of competition in consumer goods.
- Did you know Pepsi-Cola dates to 1898?
- Did you know it originated in the United States?
- Did you know PepsiCo was formed in 1965?
- Did you know it combined beverages and snacks?
- Did you know the merger diversified the company?
- Did you know snacks became a major business?
- Did you know it grew across food categories?
- Did you know it expanded around the world?
Compared with a pure soft-drink company, PepsiCo is broadly diversified across both beverages and snacks. Compared with its main rival Coca-Cola, PepsiCo is notable for its large snack business alongside its drinks, while both are leaders in the global beverage industry.
- Science
- Not a primary focus of its work.
- Technology
- It advanced large-scale food-and-beverage production and distribution.
- Business
- It became a model of diversification in consumer goods.
- Politics
- Not a primary focus of its work.
- Culture
- Its brands became part of global consumer culture.
- Education
- Its strategy is widely studied in business.
- Society
- It shaped global food-and-beverage consumption.
- Environment
- Packaging and sustainability are topics of ongoing discussion.
General books on the food-and-beverage industry.
Books on branding and the Pepsi-Coca-Cola rivalry.
Works on consumer-goods business strategy.
- Documentary topics on the soft-drink industry.
- Features on global branding and marketing.
- Programs on consumer culture.
Pepsi-Cola dates to 1898; Pepsi grows (early-mid 1900s); PepsiCo formed through a combination (1965); becomes a diversified giant (late 1900s); global expansion (late 1900s-2000s); one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies (2000s-2020s).
- Creation of Pepsi-Cola (1898).
- Pepsi's rise as a soft drink.
- The rivalry with Coca-Cola.
- The formation of PepsiCo (1965).
- Combining beverages and snacks.
- Expanding the portfolio.
- Snacks becoming central.
- Global expansion.
- Becoming a consumer-goods powerhouse.
- Remaining a food-and-beverage leader.
As a major food-and-beverage company, PepsiCo has been part of public discussion over health, sugar consumption, packaging, and environmental topics. This article notes these areas neutrally and omits disputed or unverified specifics; different viewpoints exist and these discussions continue.
Note: To avoid citing unverified specifics, this section notes general recognition. PepsiCo is widely recognized as one of the world's leading food-and-beverage companies.
PepsiCo's brands are popular and widely consumed around the world, and the company is recognized globally as a leading food-and-beverage business.
In 2026, PepsiCo remains one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies. Its broad portfolio of drinks and snacks continues to be a major part of global consumer culture, and its rivalry with Coca-Cola endures.
1. Pepsi-Cola dates to?
2. When was PepsiCo formed?
3. Where did PepsiCo originate?
Did You Know: PepsiCo was formed in 1965 by combining a beverage business with a snack business. Imagine If: A single soft drink grows into a global food-and-beverage empire - that's PepsiCo. Historic Moment: 1965, when PepsiCo was formed. On This Day: 1898 - Pepsi-Cola, the drink behind PepsiCo, dates to this year.
Short Summary: PepsiCo is one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies, known for Pepsi and a broad portfolio of drinks and snacks.
Medium Summary: With Pepsi-Cola dating to 1898 and PepsiCo formed in 1965 through a combination of beverage and snack businesses, PepsiCo grew into a diversified global food-and-beverage powerhouse, a long-time rival to Coca-Cola, headquartered in the U.S. under the ticker PEP.
Long Summary: The Pepsi-Cola drink dates to 1898, originating in the United States, and grew into a popular soft drink and a rival to Coca-Cola in the early-to-mid 1900s. In 1965, PepsiCo was formed through a corporate combination that brought together a beverage business with a snack business, creating a diversified food-and-beverage company. Through the late 1900s it expanded its portfolio across many food and beverage categories, with snacks becoming a major part of the business, and it grew into a global consumer-goods powerhouse. From the late 1900s into the 2000s it expanded worldwide, and into the 2000s and 2020s it operates as one of the world's largest food-and-beverage companies, headquartered in the U.S. under the ticker PEP and remaining a leading rival to Coca-Cola in beverages.
- 1.Official PepsiCo corporate and heritage pages
- 2.PepsiCo annual reports (Form 10-K) and SEC filings
- 3.Encyclopaedia Britannica (company entry)
- 4.Reputable major news organizations for recent events
Related timelines
The company that helped define fast food worldwide.
A major American department-store retailer.
The company behind the world's most famous soft drink.
The story of Japanese engineering, relentless improvement, and the manufacturing philosophy that changed global industry — from the Model AA to the Prius.
A prestigious global investment bank.
The iconic American airline that helped launch the Jet Age.
