Toddy
Toddy is a PepsiCo-owned chocolate beverage and food brand with its strongest presence in Brazil and parts of Latin America.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Toddy is a chocolate beverage and food brand owned and manufactured by PepsiCo. Its core product is a chocolate-flavored preparation traditionally mixed with milk, while the broader range has also included ready-to-drink chocolate milk and chocolate chip cookies. The brand is particularly associated with Brazil, where it has operated for decades, but it is also marketed in Argentina, Paraguay and Venezuela. Its commercial history is longer and more geographically varied than its current market footprint: Toddy originated in the United States in 1919 and was subsequently franchised and developed across Latin America. The brand was created by James William Rudhard, who invested $30 in 1919 to establish a business based on malt-derived foods. After roughly three years of experimentation, Rudhard developed a chocolate-and-milk drink intended to be consumed either hot or cold. He positioned the product as a practical “drinkable food” and a possible substitute for milk, helping Toddy attract consumers beyond the conventional soft-drink category. Because Rudhard encountered legal obstacles to direct commercialization outside the United States, he used franchising to expand internationally. A major stage in Toddy’s Latin American development began in 1928, when Puerto Rican employee Pedro Erasmo Santiago received the concession for the region. Santiago emphasized children in the brand’s marketing and achieved notable traction in Mexico and Argentina. In Brazil, he was licensed to commercialize Toddy on March 15, 1933, under the provisional government of Getúlio Vargas. His Brazilian promotion included highly visible advertising, including skywriting the brand name over Rio de Janeiro. By 1949, the brand used the family-oriented slogan “Toddy, breakfast for the whole family.” Santiago’s operations expanded during the 1940s. Toddy production began in Venezuela, where the beverage became particularly well known, and the business also established production or distribution activities in Argentina, Portugal, Spain, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Santiago diversified beyond chocolate beverages into juice processing, developing the Yukery trademark in Venezuela and related Yuky branding in Brazil. In the 1950s, he established Suconasa in Brazil, described in the reference material as a major orange-juice processing and concentrate facility that later became associated with Cutrale. Toddy also had a period of visibility in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. There it was sold as a canned beverage and promoted at drive-in movie theaters, using the cartoon mascot Rodeo Joe. This American activity did not define the brand’s later identity, which became increasingly centered on Latin American markets. In Brazil, the most prominent extension has been Toddynho, a 200-milliliter ready-to-drink chocolate milk line launched in 1982 and designed for children. Toddynho uses a cartoon representation of a beverage carton as its mascot and is described as more widely recognized in Brazil than the traditional powdered or prepared Toddy beverage. PepsiCo acquired the Toddy trademark in 2001. Under PepsiCo ownership, the brand’s visual identity was updated with a star and three cows, and the portfolio continued to focus on chocolate beverages and related snack products. PepsiCo introduced Toddy in Australia in 2009 and Chile in 2010, although the brand’s principal contemporary markets remain Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Venezuela. The available reference material does not identify a current standalone corporate headquarters, separate public listing, current named executives, or independently reported financial results for Toddy.
History
Toddy’s history begins in the United States in 1919, when James William Rudhard invested $30 in a business inspired by the potential of malt-based food. Rudhard spent approximately three years developing a preparation based on milk and chocolate. The resulting beverage could be consumed hot or cold, allowing the brand to present itself as a product for different seasons rather than a narrowly defined soft drink. It was promoted as a “drinkable food” and as an alternative or complement to milk. Rudhard initially intended to take Toddy beyond the United States, particularly into Canada and Mexico. Legal difficulties affecting international commercialization led him to pursue franchising instead of direct expansion. In 1928, Pedro Erasmo Santiago, a Puerto Rican employee, obtained the concession for Latin America. Santiago concentrated heavily on children as a target audience, an approach that helped Toddy gain recognition in Mexico and Argentina. The brand’s family and breakfast associations were reinforced by the slogan used in 1949, “Toddy, breakfast for the whole family.” Brazil became one of the brand’s most important long-term markets. On March 15, 1933, Santiago received authorization from the provisional government of Getúlio Vargas to commercialize Toddy in Brazil. He supported the launch with inventive publicity, including skywriting over Rio de Janeiro. During the 1940s, Toddy production began in Venezuela, and Santiago also developed operations in Argentina, Portugal and Spain. Distribution reached Caribbean markets including the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Santiago expanded into other areas of food processing. His business used the Yukery trademark for fruit juices in Venezuela and Yuky in Brazil. In the 1950s, he founded Suconasa in Brazil, an orange-juice processing and concentrate enterprise later associated with Cutrale. After Santiago died on February 8, 1966, his youngest son, Erasmo Julian Santiago Mejia, assumed responsibility for the operations. The reference material states that the companies in Venezuela were later sold in 1986 amid pressure from the national government and banks. Toddy had a separate period of promotion in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. It was sold as a canned beverage and marketed at drive-in movie theaters, where advertising featured the cartoon character Rodeo Joe. The brand’s later identity, however, became more strongly connected with Latin America, especially Brazil and Venezuela. A major product extension in Brazil was Toddynho, a ready-to-drink chocolate milk product launched in 1982. The name combines Toddy with the Portuguese diminutive suffix “-inho.” Sold in 200-milliliter packages and promoted to children, Toddynho became more recognizable in Brazil than the traditional Toddy beverage. Its mascot is a cartoon carton with a face, arms and legs. PepsiCo acquired the Toddy trademark in 2001. Following the acquisition, PepsiCo updated the logo with a star and three cows and continued commercial development of the brand. Toddy was introduced in Australia in 2009 and Chile in 2010. Contemporary distribution is principally reported in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Venezuela. The available material identifies no separately reported Toddy financial statements, public listing, current standalone leadership team or independent corporate headquarters.
- 2010
Chilean market introduction
[1]Toddy was introduced in Chile.
- 2009
Australian market introduction
[1]Toddy was introduced in Australia.
- 2001
Trademark acquired by PepsiCo
[1]PepsiCo acquired the Toddy trademark and refreshed the brand’s logo.
- 1982
Toddynho launched in Brazil
[1]PepsiCo’s predecessor operations launched Toddynho, a child-oriented ready-to-drink chocolate milk line in 200-milliliter packages.
- 1940
Production expands to Venezuela
[1]Toddy began production in Venezuela and became a durable local beverage brand.
- 1933
Brazilian commercialization authorized
[1]Santiago was licensed to commercialize Toddy in Brazil on March 15, leading to extensive local promotion.
- 1928
Latin American concession granted
[1]Pedro Erasmo Santiago took over the concession for Toddy in Latin America and built a child-focused marketing strategy.
- 1919
Toddy business established in the United States
[1]James William Rudhard invested $30 to begin developing a malt-based, chocolate-and-milk drink.
Products and positioning
A family- and children-oriented chocolate beverage brand, combining a traditional chocolate drink preparation with convenient ready-to-drink products and related snack foods.
Chocolate beverage preparation · 1919
Toddy chocolate beverage
The original Toddy product is a chocolate-flavored beverage preparation developed from milk and malt-oriented food experimentation. It was designed to be mixed and consumed either hot or cold, supporting year-round use. Historically it was promoted as a nourishing “drinkable food,” while its contemporary identity is primarily that of a family chocolate drink brand.
Ready-to-drink chocolate milk · 1982
Toddynho
Toddynho is a Brazilian ready-to-drink chocolate milk line launched in 1982. Its name uses the Portuguese diminutive suffix “-inho,” and the product was created with children as a central audience. It is sold in 200-milliliter packages and uses a cartoon character based on a smiling beverage carton. The line is described as more familiar to Brazilian consumers than the traditional Toddy preparation.
Cookies
Toddy chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are part of the broader Toddy product range. They extend the brand from chocolate beverages into packaged sweet snacks, although the supplied reference material does not provide detailed launch dates, formulations or market-by-market distribution information.
Marketing campaigns
- 1950Rodeo Joe drive-in theater advertising
United States
During the 1950s and 1960s, Toddy was marketed as a canned beverage at United States drive-in movie theaters, using the cartoon mascot Rodeo Joe.
Outcome. The campaign gave Toddy visibility in a distinctive American entertainment and convenience context, although later brand activity became more concentrated in Latin America.
- 1949Family breakfast positioning
Latin America
Toddy used the slogan “Toddy, breakfast for the whole family,” reinforcing a family-oriented consumption occasion and broadening the brand beyond a child-only proposition.
Outcome. The slogan connected the beverage with breakfast and household consumption.
- 1933Rio de Janeiro skywriting promotion
Brazil
Pedro Erasmo Santiago promoted Toddy’s Brazilian commercialization with highly conspicuous advertising, including writing the brand name across the skies over Rio de Janeiro.
Outcome. The campaign is cited as an example of the innovative publicity used to establish Toddy in Brazil.
Brand decisions
2001
PepsiCo acquires the Toddy trademarkM&ABackground
Toddy had developed from a United States chocolate beverage into a Latin American brand with a portfolio that included chocolate drinks and related foods.
Action taken
PepsiCo acquired the Toddy trademark and assumed ownership of the brand.
Aftermath
PepsiCo refreshed the logo with a star and three cows and later introduced Toddy in Australia and Chile.
1982
Launch of ToddynhoProduct launchBackground
The brand sought to serve children with a convenient, packaged chocolate milk product in Brazil.
Action taken
A 200-milliliter ready-to-drink chocolate milk line named Toddynho was launched.
Aftermath
Toddynho became more widely recognized in Brazil than the traditional Toddy beverage and acquired its own carton-shaped mascot.
Recent events
- 2010
Toddy launches in Chile[1]
Product launch
PepsiCo introduced Toddy in Chile after expanding the brand into Australia the previous year.
- 2009
Toddy launches in Australia[1]
Product launch
PepsiCo introduced Toddy to the Australian market as part of the brand’s post-acquisition international expansion.
- 2001
PepsiCo acquires the Toddy trademark[1]
M&A
PepsiCo acquired the Toddy trademark and subsequently managed the brand as part of its consumer food and beverage portfolio.
Sources1 sources
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