Cheerwine is the oldest continuously operating soft drink business run by the same family. L.D. Peeler created Cheerwine in 1917 in Salisbury, North Carolina. Peeler purchased a wild cherry flavor from a St. Louis salesman. Due to WWI, sugar was heavily rationed, so Peeler was looking for a way to add sweet flavor with less sugar. It would take the big blue and red soda companies until the 1980s to launch their own cherry sodas. The burgundy color and cheerful bubbles led to the "Cheerwine" name. Some call it the "Nectar of North Carolina"...we just call it very, very good.