The Carolina Beverage Corporation was started in Salisbury, NC by a general store owner named LD Peeler. Peeler first began distributing a soft drink called Mint Cola. In 1917 during a World War I sugar shortage, LD Peeler began experimenting with other flavors and developed the soft drink Cheerwine. Today Cheerwine is the primary beverage sold by the company. The company is still based in Salisbury and is privately owned and managed by the same founding family, five generations of whom have worked there. 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of Cheerwine.