Nehi

Nehi is an American flavored soft-drink brand with roots in the early twentieth-century beverage business of Claud A. Hatcher, a grocer and bottler from Columbus, Georgia. Hatcher began bottling beverages, including ginger ale and root beer, in 1905. His company, initially associated with Chero-Cola, expanded beyond cola in 1924 with the introduction of Nehi-branded fruit and specialty sodas. The name was intended to evoke the expression “knee-high,” a reference to the tall bottles used in the brand’s early presentation and reflected in its advertising imagery. Nehi was created as a broad flavor alternative to Chero-Cola’s main cola product. Its range included orange, grape, root beer, peach, and other flavored carbonated drinks. The line quickly became commercially important and, according to historical accounts, eventually outsold Chero-Cola itself. The popularity of the beverages led the company to adopt the Nehi Corporation name in 1928. The corporation was also listed on the New York Curb Exchange during this period, making Nehi more than a single beverage label: it became the public-facing identity of a growing soft-drink enterprise. The company encountered serious financial pressure during the Great Depression. Sales fell sharply after the 1929 stock-market crash, and the business continued declining until 1932, which was described as the only year in which the corporation lost money. Claud A. Hatcher, the company’s president and principal creative and business force, died suddenly on December 31, 1933. H. R. Mott, a longtime vice president and company associate, succeeded him. Mott concentrated on reducing debt, controlling expenses, improving operations, and securing extensions of credit. Historical accounts state that the corporation had eliminated its debt within a year of his taking over. Nehi’s later development was closely connected with the company’s RC Cola business. Radio promotion, including advertising associated with Robert Ripley’s “Believe It or Not!” program, helped the wider company build recognition. After the Second World War, the corporation expanded its advertising and used prominent entertainers and personalities, including Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, Bob Hope, and Hedy Lamarr, in promotional materials. By 1947, the Nehi Corporation offered more than ten flavors, among them Nehi Orange, Nehi Grape, Nehi Peach, Dr. Nehi, Nehi Chocolate, Nehi Root Beer, Nehi Lemonade, Nehi Wild Red, and Nehi Blue Cream. Several of these novelty flavors were subsequently discontinued as consumer interest changed. In 1955, the company changed its corporate name to Royal Crown Company, reflecting the growing importance of RC Cola. Nehi nevertheless remained a recognizable beverage brand. Its visual identity and historic advertising continued to influence American popular culture. The brand’s “knee-high” imagery was represented by stylized depictions of women’s legs and stockings. A Nehi sign appears in the 1973 film “Paper Moon,” while author Jean Shepherd connected a more provocative regional version of the image with the leg-lamp motif later popularized through “A Christmas Story.” Nehi also appears in fictional and nostalgic depictions of American life, including the grape-flavored soda associated with Radar O’Reilly in the television series “M*A*S*H.” In April 2008, Nehi became part of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the United States. Following the later formation and naming of Keurig Dr Pepper, the brand sits within that company’s beverage portfolio. Nehi is best understood today as a heritage American soft-drink brand whose historical importance comes from its broad flavor assortment, early bottling-era distribution, distinctive advertising, and connection to the Royal Crown/RC Cola business. Publicly available reference material does not establish a complete current flavor lineup, national distribution footprint, or a separate modern corporate organization for Nehi.

Nehi originated within the beverage business established by Claud A. Hatcher in Columbus, Georgia. Hatcher began bottling ginger ale and root beer in 1905 and later operated the Chero-Cola company. In 1924, Chero-Cola introduced Nehi as a complementary line intended to broaden the company’s selection beyond cola. The brand’s name alluded to “knee-high,” matching the tall bottles used in its early presentation. The new line offered a broad selection of flavored carbonated drinks, including orange, grape, root beer, peach, and other varieties. Its commercial performance was strong enough that Nehi reportedly surpassed Chero-Cola in sales and became the basis for the corporate name adopted in 1928. The Nehi Corporation was listed on the New York Curb Exchange, indicating that the business had developed into a substantial beverage company rather than remaining a small regional bottler. The Great Depression brought a severe reversal. The corporation’s sales declined after the 1929 stock-market crash, and the business continued to struggle through the early 1930s. The company’s only loss-making year was identified as 1932. Hatcher died suddenly on December 31, 1933, leaving the business to H. R. Mott, a longtime vice president and associate. Mott inherited substantial debt but pursued a program of cost reduction, operational improvement, credit extensions, and financial discipline. Historical accounts say that he restored the company to a debt-free position within a year. Promotion became an important part of the company’s recovery and expansion. Robert Ripley promoted Nehi and the company’s RC Cola business through his radio program. After the Second World War, the corporation expanded its advertising with celebrity endorsements and point-of-sale materials. Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, Bob Hope, and Hedy Lamarr were among the personalities associated with the company’s advertising during this period. In 1947, the portfolio included more than ten Nehi flavors, ranging from established orange, grape, and peach varieties to Dr. Nehi, chocolate, root beer, lemonade, Wild Red, and Blue Cream. Some of these flavors were later removed as novelty demand declined. Nehi’s advertising developed a particularly recognizable visual style. One national logo used the image of seated woman’s legs with stockings exposed to the knee, visually explaining the pronunciation of the brand name. A more provocative regional version showed a single disembodied leg. These images later acquired a life beyond beverage advertising. Nehi appears in “Paper Moon,” and Jean Shepherd’s recollections of the Depression era connected the regional image with the leg-lamp idea that became widely known through “A Christmas Story.” The soda also entered television and literary nostalgia, including the fictional preference for Grape Nehi attributed to Radar O’Reilly in “M*A*S*H.” As RC Cola became increasingly important, the corporation changed its name to Royal Crown Company in 1955. Nehi survived as one of the company’s heritage flavored-soda brands. In April 2008, the brand joined the United States portfolio of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which later became part of the Keurig Dr Pepper organization. Nehi’s current public profile is therefore that of a legacy brand within a larger beverage portfolio, with historical recognition strongest in the United States and among consumers familiar with classic regional and flavored soft drinks.

1. 2008Nehi joins Dr Pepper Snapple Group

   In April, Nehi becomes a brand of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the United States; the group later becomes part of Keurig Dr Pepper.

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2. 1955Corporate identity changes to Royal Crown Company

   The company changes its corporate name to Royal Crown Company following the success of RC Cola.

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3. 1947The flavor portfolio and advertising program expand

   The company promotes a portfolio of more than ten Nehi flavors and uses celebrity and point-of-purchase advertising during the postwar expansion period.

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4. 1934H. R. Mott leads a financial recovery

   After succeeding Hatcher, H. R. Mott focuses on debt reduction, expense control, operational improvements, and credit arrangements; the company is reported to have become debt-free within a year.

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5. 1933Claud A. Hatcher dies

   Hatcher, the company’s founding president and guiding figure, dies suddenly on December 31.

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6. 1932The corporation records its only reported loss-making year

   The company reaches the low point of its Depression-era downturn, with historical accounts identifying 1932 as its only year operating at a loss.

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7. 1928The company adopts the Nehi Corporation name

   The popularity of the Nehi line leads the company to adopt Nehi Corporation as its corporate name.

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8. 1924Nehi is introduced

   Chero-Cola introduces Nehi as a line of flavored soft drinks, including fruit-oriented varieties and other specialty carbonated beverages.

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9. 1905Claud A. Hatcher begins bottling beverages

   Claud A. Hatcher begins bottling ginger ale and root beer in Columbus, Georgia, establishing the business background from which Nehi later developed.

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A nostalgic American flavored-soda brand historically positioned around variety, distinctive fruit flavors, tall-bottle presentation, and memorable popular-culture imagery.

• Nehi OrangeFlavored carbonated soft drink1924

  Orange-flavored soda and one of the brand’s best-known classic varieties. It formed part of Nehi’s core fruit-soda assortment and helped establish the brand’s identity as an alternative to conventional cola.

• Nehi GrapeFlavored carbonated soft drink1924

  Grape-flavored carbonated soda associated with Nehi’s early and mid-century range. The flavor also became prominent in American popular culture through fictional references to Grape Nehi.

• Nehi PeachFlavored carbonated soft drink1924

  Peach-flavored soda included among Nehi’s signature fruit varieties. It represented the brand’s emphasis on a broad range of non-cola flavors.

• Nehi Root BeerRoot beer

  A root-beer expression within the Nehi portfolio, linking the brand to the earlier bottling experience of founder Claud A. Hatcher, who had bottled root beer before Nehi was introduced.

• Dr. NehiFlavored carbonated soft drink

  A specialty Nehi flavor listed among the company’s expanded postwar assortment. Available historical references identify the product but do not provide a complete formulation or launch date.

• Nehi LemonadeLemon-flavored soft drink

  A lemonade-style entry in the expanded Nehi range. It illustrates the company’s practice of extending the brand beyond standard fruit sodas into additional sweet-and-citrus flavor profiles.

• Nehi Blue CreamCream soda

  A blue cream-style soda listed among Nehi’s historical flavors. It was part of the brand’s novelty-oriented assortment, several elements of which were later discontinued.

• Nehi Wild RedFlavored carbonated soft drink

  A specialty red-colored flavor from the brand’s mid-century range. Available references identify it as one of the more than ten flavors offered during the company’s postwar expansion.

• Nehi ChocolateFlavored soft drink

  A chocolate-flavored Nehi beverage included in the historical portfolio. Its presence demonstrates the breadth of the brand’s experimentation beyond conventional fruit, cola, and root-beer categories.

• 1947Hedy Lamarr point-of-purchase advertising

  United States

  Hedy Lamarr appeared in Nehi point-of-purchase advertising during the company’s postwar promotional expansion.

  Outcome. The campaign formed part of the company’s broader celebrity-led retail advertising program.

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• 1946Postwar celebrity advertising

  United States

  The corporation expanded its advertising after the Second World War by associating its products with public figures including Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, and Bob Hope.

  Outcome. The program accompanied a period of expansion and product-line development, with 1947 described as one of the company’s strongest years.

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• Ripley’s Believe It or Not! radio promotion

  United States

  Robert Ripley promoted Nehi and the company’s broader beverage business through his successful radio program. The promotion helped support awareness of the company and its RC Cola products.

  Outcome. The company was reported to be performing well financially by 1940.

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• 2008Transfer Nehi into the Dr Pepper Snapple Group portfolioM&A

  The brand became part of the United States beverage portfolio assembled by Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

  What changed. Nehi was made a Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand in April 2008.

  Aftermath. Following later corporate developments, the brand is associated with Keurig Dr Pepper.

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• 1955Rename the corporation Royal Crown CompanyStrategy

  RC Cola had become an increasingly important part of the company’s business.

  What changed. The corporate name was changed from Nehi Corporation to Royal Crown Company.

  Aftermath. Nehi continued as a beverage brand while the corporate identity emphasized the Royal Crown and RC Cola business.

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• 1934Implement a debt-reduction and operating-recovery programStrategy

  H. R. Mott assumed leadership after Claud A. Hatcher’s death and inherited a heavily indebted company affected by the Depression.

  What changed. Mott updated operations, reduced expenses, obtained credit extensions, and prioritized rapid debt repayment.

  Aftermath. Historical accounts state that the company became debt-free within a year and was positioned for renewed expansion.

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• 1928Adopt the Nehi Corporation nameStrategy

  The Nehi flavored-soda line had become sufficiently popular to serve as the company’s principal identity.

  What changed. The company changed its corporate name to Nehi Corporation.

  Aftermath. The corporation continued operating as a publicly listed beverage company before later adopting the Royal Crown name.

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• 1924Introduce Nehi as a multi-flavor soda lineProduct launch

  Chero-Cola wanted to broaden its beverage selection beyond its principal cola product.

  What changed. The company launched Nehi with orange, grape, root beer, peach, and other flavored carbonated drinks.

  Aftermath. The line became highly successful and ultimately became more prominent than Chero-Cola in the company’s business.

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• 2008Nehi becomes a Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand

  Nehi was transferred into the United States brand portfolio of Dr Pepper Snapple Group in April 2008.

  M&AOther
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• 1955Nehi Corporation changes its name to Royal Crown Company

  The company changed its corporate name after the growing success of RC Cola, while Nehi continued as a beverage brand.

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• 1928Nehi Corporation adopts its corporate name

  The company adopted the Nehi Corporation name after the flavored soda line achieved strong popularity.

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1. Nehi