Our story began in 1783 when Jacob Schweppe brought ‘Schweppervescence’ to life. He was the first to perfect the art of capturing and bottling bubbles (the process of carbonation) and founded Schweppes in Geneva, Switzerland. The company eventually expanded into England and his sparkling soda waters were endorsed by leading doctors and sold as a treatment for a variety of ailments. It was described as “a safe and cooling drink for persons exhausted by much speaking, heated by dancing or crowded assemblies”.
In 1798, Jacob retired and sold most of his interest in the company to three men. In exchange, he revealed to the partners ‘the whole art, mystery and process of making and composing artificial mineral waters’. Schweppes continues Jacob’s tradition of innovation, craft and quality to this day
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Jacob Schweppe was the first to bring sparkling beverages to the world, setting in motion a beverage revolution that would far surpass his wildest dreams. His legacy of passion, innovation, craft, quality and real ingredients lives on to this day.
A German-born Swiss watchmaker and jeweller by trade, he founded Schweppes in Geneva, Switzerland in 1783. Five years later the first fleet landed in Australia.
The ‘Hamilton’ bottle is created. Designed to lay flat on its side, the bottle embodied a distinctive curved base. This kept the cork saturated and expanded, becoming the first bottle of its kind to retain carbonation. 83 years later the crown seal was invented.
A beautiful innovation of its time, the elegant design is embodied in our bottles to date.
Schweppes launches its first innovation in flavour, Schweppes Aerated Lemonade. Since its creation over 180 years ago, this iconic beverage has evolved to inspire the classic Schweppes Lemonade still loved by people far and wide today.
Schweppes receives the royal warrant of appointment by His Majesty King William IV, becoming the main purveyor of sparkling beverages to the Royal Family. Both the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria (soon to become Queen Victoria) were known to have loved Schweppes’ beverages.
Schweppes was first imported into Australia in 1850, offering its quality beverages around the country. As demand for Schweppes’ beverages grew, Schweppes set up its first site in Sydney in 1877, later opening in Melbourne in 1885. This allowed for new beverages tailored to the Australian market, with all Schweppes beverages available in Australia still made locally to date.
Schweppes was appointed the official beverage of the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London’s Hyde Park, delighting audiences from across the globe with a crystal fountain that quickly became iconic for the brand. The 27 foot fountain made of 4 tons of pure glass produced a magnificent sparkling flow of Schweppes’ new ‘Malvern Soda Water’, giving birth to the iconic ‘Schweppes Fountain’ trade mark still seen today.
Schweppes introduces two of the world’s most iconic beverages, still loved as much today as they were almost 150 years ago.
Indian Tonic Water was first created to prevent malaria, using quinine (the natural bark of the Cinchona tree) as an antidote. As quinine gave the drink a bitter taste, the English colonists who settled in India would mix it with lime and gin. On returning home, this practice continued and the drink grew in popularity, spreading from the UK to the rest of the world as the classic Gin & Tonic still enjoyed today.
Schweppes launches fruit flavoured Mineral Waters, still loved far and wide to this day. Made with a bespoke blend of quality ingredients, the range combines sparkling natural mineral water sourced from Australian springs with real fruit such as orange, pineapple, lemon and cranberry.
Schweppes is rationed and subsequently disappears from the market for public sales for a number of years during WWII. Schweppes continued to advertise to reassure consumers that their favourite sparkling beverages would return and that the war would soon be over.
The iconic word ‘Schweppervescence’ comes to life through the global campaign, ‘Schweppervescence lasts the whole drink through’.
From the reinvention of the Hamilton bottle, to the creation of innovative new beverages, Schweppes continues to provide quality sparkling beverages, masterfully crafted with time honoured processes and real ingredients sourced from across the globe.
