Hatcher Family Cola Museum

Learn more about the Nehi Corporation and Royal Crown below!

How the Royal Crown Beverage Line Was Born

Royal Crown beverage line was born in 1905 when a young pharmacist named Claud A. Hatcher made the decision to formulate and stock his family’s grocery store with drinks that he produced and bottled. The first cola product in this line would be known as Chero-Cola, while other early products included Royal Crown Ginger Ale, Royal Crown Strawberry and Royal Crown Root Beer. By 1912, sales would show steady growth and Hatcher’s basement bottling activities would become The Chero-Cola Company. In 1928, Hatcher’s fruity beverage creations known as Nehi were deemed successful and the company name was changed to The Nehi Corporation.

Come see our cola museum and other collections of history at the Columbus Collective Museums.

The Nehi Corporation and the Birth of Royal Crown

Claud A. Hatcher passed away in 1933 and The Nehi Corporation’s Vice President H.R. Mott quickly began to streamline operations. His goal was to make the company debt-free within the year. Another part of Mott’s plan was the reformulation of Chero-Cola into a more refreshing beverage. Chemist Rufas Kamm was given the responsibility of coming up with the new flavor. Kamm perfected the formula in six months and the new cola was released to the public with the name of Hatcher’s original line of beverages: Royal Crown.

 

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Royal Crown Cola Takes The Country By Storm

Royal Crown Cola was an instant sensation! Royal Crown Cola was such a success that the company was eventually renamed Royal Crown Cola Co and by 1940, RC products were available in 47 of the 48 states.