There was a time when cracking open a cold pop in the Midwest meant reaching for something you couldn’t find two states over. Regional soda brands weren’t niche curiosities. They were the default. They were what your grandma stocked, what filled the cooler at every summer cookout, and what you grabbed from a machine at a gas station on a long drive through flat country. Unlike today’s market, dominated by global giants, the 20th century was a golden age for regional and independent soda brands, with each corner of the country boasting its own unique carbonated creations that reflected local tastes, traditions, and entrepreneurial spirit. The Midwest was no exception. It had its own lineup, and some of those brands hit harder than anything Coke or Pepsi was pushing at the time. Here’s what happened to five of them.
1. Green River: Chicago’s Lime-Green Legend That Nearly Vanished
Green River soda was first created in 1916 in Davenport, Iowa, by Richard C. Jones, who owned a local confectionary shop, before Jones sold his recipe to the Schoenhofen Edelweiss Brewing Company of Chicago in 1919. From there, the bright lime-green drink found its audience in a very unusual way.
The lime-based soda with a hint of lemon was poured into old beer bottles and sold in the market, and Edelweiss closed its doors in 1950, with several different manufacturers taking over the recipe through the years. By 1992, Green River had shrunk to the point of only being sold in Chicago.
Sprecher Brewery acquired the Green River brand from Wit Beverage in October of 2021, and in addition to Sprecher Brewing, Orca Beverage of Mukilteo, Washington began production in 2025 of Green River soda under its vintage and craft sodas line. Almost a third of the green soda’s sales come in the month before St. Patrick’s Day.
2. Vess Soda: St. Louis’ “Billion Bubble Beverage” and Its Long Corporate Journey
Vess Soda has been a Midwest staple for more than 100 years, with Sylvester Jones starting the company in 1916 and the “Billion Bubble Beverage” since being made, canned, and sold in the St. Louis area. Its early history is actually tied to one of the most famous soda stories in American history…