Who Owns 7Up? How I Break Down Who Really Controls The Brand

In the United States, 7Up is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper. In many other countries, the brand is owned or licensed by PepsiCo. So there is no single worldwide owner, which is why the answer to who owns 7up can feel a little messy.

When I first looked into this, I expected one simple parent company. Instead, I found a split setup that changes by region, with different bottlers, contracts, and marketing teams handling the same green can you see on the shelf.

In this post, I am going to break down how 7Up ownership works in plain English. I will walk through who controls the brand in the US, how PepsiCo fits in outside the US, and where local partners come in. I will also touch on how that structure affects what you see in stores, from logos and recipes to which other drinks sit next to 7Up in a fridge.

I will go through a simple timeline of who owned 7Up in the past, so you can see how it moved from smaller companies into the big soda portfolios we know today. I will keep the history short and focus on the moments that still matter for buyers now.

By the end, you will know who actually stands behind that can of 7Up you grab at the gas station or supermarket. You will see why the answer changes depending on where you live, and why some people link 7Up with Pepsi while others do not. If you have ever compared labels while traveling or noticed small taste changes, this will finally make sense.

Short answer: Who owns 7Up right now?

If you are wondering who owns 7Up, the short answer is this: in the United States, 7Up is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, and in many other countries, PepsiCo controls the brand. There is no single global owner, which is why the labels and partners can look so different from place to place.

Who owns 7Up in the United States?

In the U.S., 7Up is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP).

Keurig Dr Pepper came from the merger of two companies, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain. That deal pulled hot drinks and cold drinks under one roof, so now the same parent company is behind coffee pods and sodas.

Inside KDP, 7Up sits in a big soft drink lineup that also includes:

• Dr Pepper
• Canada Dry
• A&W
• Sunkist (licensed)

So when you buy a can of 7Up in the U.S., you are supporting KDP, not Pepsi and not Coke.

Who owns 7Up outside the United States?

Once you step outside the U.S., the picture flips.

In many countries, PepsiCo owns or controls the rights to 7Up. PepsiCo often works with local bottlers and partners, who handle:

• Producing the drink
• Bottling or canning it
• Getting it into stores and restaurants

This split setup comes from old deals and regional licensing agreements. PepsiCo has strong rights to 7Up in a lot of markets, but not in the United States, which surprises many people.

Is 7Up owned by Coca-Cola at all?

No, Coca-Cola does not own 7Up in any major market.

Coke has its own lemon lime soda, Sprite, which is 7Up’s direct rival. The two sit in the same category, like Pepsi vs Coca-Cola, but from different companies.

People sometimes assume Coke owns 7Up because they see 7Up near Coke products in coolers. That is just store shelving and local distribution, not shared ownership.

How 7Up ownership works in different regions of the world

Once you know there is no single global owner, the next step is to look at how 7Up is split up by region. This is where the answer to who owns 7Up really changes depending on where you live or travel.

I like to think of it like TV rights. One show, different channels in different countries. Same idea here, just with a lemon lime soda.

Who owns and sells 7Up in North America?

In North America, the picture is more mixed than most people expect.

In the United States, 7Up is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP). KDP owns the brand, controls the recipe, and handles the main marketing decisions. Local bottlers then handle the heavy lifting, like:

• Producing the drink in bottling plants
• Filling cans and bottles
• Delivering 7Up to stores, restaurants, and vending machines

Some of these bottlers belong to KDP. Others are big independent companies that sign contracts to make and distribute 7Up in a certain territory.

In Canada, 7Up also runs through the Keurig Dr Pepper side, either directly or through partners.

The setup can vary by province, but the key point is that the brand does not suddenly switch to Coca-Cola or a random local company. It still ties back to KDP decisions on branding and

positioning.

In Mexico and parts of Latin America, things look different. There, PepsiCo often manages 7Up or a sister lemon lime brand in the same slot. In some areas you may not even see 7Up on the shelf. You might see a PepsiCo owned lemon lime soda that plays the same role, backed by big regional bottlers that work under license.

So if you are trying to sort out who owns 7Up in North America, think of it like this: KDP is in charge in the U.S. and Canada, while PepsiCo has a strong presence with 7Up or similar brands as you move south.

Who owns 7Up in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa?

Across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, PepsiCo usually controls the rights to 7Up.

In these regions, 7Up often sits as part of the PepsiCo soft drink lineup, right next to Pepsi, Mirinda, and other brands.

PepsiCo then works with:

• Its own local subsidiaries
• Franchise bottlers that hold contracts for a country or group of countries

For example, in the U.K., 7Up is a PepsiCo brand and is bottled and sold by Pepsi linked partners. In many parts of the Middle East, when you order 7Up at a restaurant that serves Pepsi, it is also coming from a PepsiCo license and a local bottling group.

The exact company name on the truck or plant can change from country to country. What stays the same is that PepsiCo controls the marketing, core brand image, and usually the overall strategy in these regions.

Who owns 7Up in Asia-Pacific and Latin America?

The Asia-Pacific and broader Latin American regions follow a similar pattern. In many of these markets, PepsiCo again manages 7Up or a close lemon lime cousin.

In some countries, you get the classic 7Up name and logo, just like you might see in Europe. In others, you get local branding, sweetener swaps, or small flavor twists that match local taste.

You might notice:

• Slightly different packaging or logo styles
• Different sugar or sweetener mixes
• Limited flavors that only exist in that country

Even with those differences, the brand usually traces back to the PepsiCo side of the split, not to Keurig Dr Pepper. The flavor might feel more citrus heavy or a bit sweeter, but the corporate home is still the Pepsi family in most of these markets.

A few countries have special agreements or local rights, so the paperwork can get complex behind the scenes. For everyday buyers, the simple answer is that outside the U.S., when you see 7Up or a Pepsi style lemon lime soda, it likely connects to PepsiCo.

Why there is no single global owner of 7Up

So why does who owns 7Up change so much by region? It goes back to old business decisions.

Over time, the rights to 7Up were sold, licensed, and split up by geography. One company took the U.S. rights, another picked up rights in other parts of the world. Those deals stuck, even as the brands and bottlers merged into giants like Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo.

It works a lot like movie rights or sports rights. A studio might sell streaming rights to one service in the U.S., but another service in Europe. The movie is the same, but the owner of the local rights is different.

That is why:

• Keurig Dr Pepper controls 7Up in the United States
• PepsiCo controls 7Up in many other countries

Once you see it that way, the split structure starts to feel less strange. It is just the result of early deals that never got pulled into a single global package.

A simple history of who owned 7Up over the years

To really answer "who owns 7Up" today, I find it helps to look backward. The brand did not start inside a huge soda company. It began as a small, risky idea that slowly got pulled into bigger and bigger corporate groups.

Here is how 7Up moved from a local lemon lime drink to a split brand that Keurig Dr Pepper controls in the U.S., while PepsiCo controls it in many other countries.

How 7Up started as a small soda brand

7Up started in 1929 in the United States, right before the Great Depression hit. It was created by Charles Leiper Grigg, a soft drink developer in St. Louis, Missouri. He had already tried other flavors before, but this time he went with a sharp lemon lime taste.

The original name was a mouthful: Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. It was not just a fun citrus drink. Early versions even used lithium salts, which were common in some drinks at the time. That old formula would not fly today, but it shows how different the soda world used to be.

Over time, the company dropped the long name and settled on 7Up, which was much easier to say and print on bottles. The brand kept the lemon lime style, stayed clear in color, and leaned into the idea of a crisp, clean taste.

In the early years, 7Up was a small regional brand. It grew step by step, state by state, through:

• Local bottlers that signed on to make and sell it
• Word of mouth and simple advertising
• A focus on being different from dark colas

As more bottlers joined, 7Up moved from a local niche drink to a national favorite. By the mid 1900s, it had a real place in American soda culture, which set it up to be folded into bigger beverage companies later on.

From independent brand to part of big soda companies

As 7Up grew through the mid 1900s, it stopped being just a small, independent brand. Demand grew, bottlers spread, and big companies started to see its value in the lemon lime category.

The key pattern looks like this: 7Up built its own identity, then got pulled into larger beverage groups through mergers and acquisitions. I will skip the minor deals and focus on the big moves that help explain who owns 7Up now.

First, 7Up moved from founder control into corporate ownership, as the brand was sold into larger holding companies. This let the soda get wider bottling, more marketing, and bigger distribution in grocery stores. It also meant that decisions about 7Up were no longer made by a single founder, but by boards and executives.

Later, 7Up became tied up with Dr Pepper as both brands started to sit inside the same corporate families. Dr Pepper was also an independent soft drink that did not belong to Coke or Pepsi. When 7Up and Dr Pepper linked up under shared ownership, that created a new kind of soda group that could stand on its own.

Over time, mergers and restructures pulled these pieces together. In the United States, the important point is that 7Up and Dr Pepper ended up under the same umbrella, which later turned into Dr Pepper Snapple Group. That group controlled 7Up for the U.S. market, handled marketing, and worked with bottlers to get it into stores.

So the brand went from:

• A local formula in the 1920s
• A growing national brand in the mid 1900s
• Part of a larger soft drink portfolio tied to Dr Pepper by the late 1900s

Those steps are what set the stage for the current split between U.S. rights and international rights.

How PepsiCo ended up controlling 7Up outside the U.S.

While 7Up was lining up with Dr Pepper in the U.S., a different story was playing out abroad.

In many countries, the rights to sell and market 7Up were handled through licensing deals and regional sales agreements. Over time, PepsiCo moved in and picked up international rights to 7Up in a lot of those regions.

Here is the key idea:

• U.S. rights to 7Up stayed on the Dr Pepper side
• International rights to 7Up shifted toward PepsiCo through deals and purchases

PepsiCo already had strong global bottling networks, so 7Up fit nicely into its lineup outside the U.S. Instead of building a new lemon lime brand from scratch in every market, PepsiCo could use 7Up in many of them, place it next to Pepsi, and plug it into existing bottling plants.

As these deals stacked up, PepsiCo became the company most people outside the U.S. connect with 7Up. That is why someone in Europe or the Middle East might think 7Up is clearly a Pepsi product, while someone in the U.S. links it to Dr Pepper or now Keurig Dr Pepper.

The long term result is a permanent split in who owns 7Up rights:

• Dr Pepper side in the U.S.
• PepsiCo side in many non U.S. markets

That split survived even when the U.S. owner changed its own structure.

The creation of Keurig Dr Pepper and what it means for 7Up

In 2018, there was a big move on the U.S. side. Dr Pepper Snapple Group merged with Keurig Green Mountain, the coffee company best known for Keurig machines and K Cups. The new company took the name Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP).

The idea was simple. Put hot drinks and cold drinks in one company, share resources, and control a wide range of beverage brands. When that deal closed, all the U.S. brands that sat under Dr Pepper Snapple Group, including 7Up, became part of Keurig Dr Pepper.

So today, in the United States:

• Keurig Dr Pepper owns the 7Up brand rights
• KDP manages the recipe, marketing, and brand strategy
• Partner bottlers make, bottle, and ship the drink

If you buy a can or bottle of 7Up in the U.S., the revenue flows to Keurig Dr Pepper and its bottling partners, not to PepsiCo and not to Coca-Cola. That is the current answer to "who owns 7Up" if you are looking at the U.S. shelf.

Why 7Up stayed separate from Coca-Cola and Sprite

People often wonder why 7Up did not end up under Coca-Cola, the way Sprite did. The short answer: the ownership path was different, and those deals never happened.

For years, Dr Pepper and 7Up products were often bottled by both Coke and Pepsi bottlers in the U.S. That setup confused a lot of shoppers. You might see a local Coca-Cola bottler truck delivering Dr Pepper or 7Up, even though Coca-Cola did not own those brands.

Coca-Cola built its own lemon lime brand, Sprite, instead of buying 7Up. Since 7Up stayed tied to the Dr Pepper side, it became a rival to Sprite, not a sister brand. The same thing happened on the Pepsi side, where PepsiCo pushed its own lemon lime brands while also holding 7Up rights outside the U.S.

So in the big picture:

• Coca-Cola owns Sprite, not 7Up
• PepsiCo controls 7Up in many countries outside the U.S.
• Keurig Dr Pepper owns 7Up in the United States

Once you see those three pieces, the web of bottlers and logos starts to make sense. The brand you grew up with as “a Pepsi drink” or “a Dr Pepper drink” depends on where you live, even though the name on the can is the same 7Up.

How 7Up is made, bottled, and sold under different owners

Once I understood who owns 7Up on paper, I wanted to know what that means in real life. Who actually mixes the drink, who puts it in bottles, and why does it taste a bit different when I travel?

This is where the split between brand owners like Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo, and bottlers on the ground, really shows up. The logo might look the same, but the path from factory to fridge can change a lot by country.

Brand owner vs bottler: who actually makes my 7Up?

When I talk about who owns 7Up, I am talking about the brand owner, not the factory that fills your can.

In simple terms:

• Brand owner: Owns the name, recipe rights, logo, and marketing.
• Bottler: Runs the plants, mixes the syrup with water and sweetener, fills cans and bottles, and delivers them.

Those are two different jobs, even if they work closely together.

In the United States, Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is the brand owner of 7Up. KDP controls:

• The official recipe and syrup formula for the U.S.
• The logo, design, and overall brand image.
• National marketing and big partnerships.

But KDP is not always the one filling every bottle. That last step belongs to bottlers. Some bottlers belong to KDP, others are independent companies that sign contracts.

A bottler will:

1. Get concentrated 7Up syrup from the brand system.
2. Add treated water and the right sweetener.
3. Carbonate the drink.
4. Fill and seal cans or bottles.
5. Load cases on trucks and deliver them to stores and restaurants.

So when I grab a 7Up in a gas station, the drink inside comes from a local bottler that follows rules set by KDP.

Outside the U.S., the idea is the same, but the brand owner often shifts to PepsiCo. In many countries, PepsiCo controls the rights to 7Up, then works with local Pepsi linked bottlers.

For example:

• In a European country, PepsiCo may own the 7Up rights.
• A local Pepsi bottler mixes the syrup, bottles the drink, and stocks stores.
• The bottle still says 7Up, but the trucks and uniforms might say Pepsi.

So the brand owner is like the scriptwriter and director. The bottler is the theater that shows the movie. Different theater, same movie, as long as everyone follows the script.

Why 7Up can taste different from country to country

If you have ever thought, “This 7Up tastes a bit different from back home,” you are not imagining it. Ownership and local rules can nudge the recipe in small ways.

Here are the main reasons the taste shifts:

• Local laws and rules
  Some countries limit certain sweeteners or additives. Others have rules about caffeine, sugar content, or labeling. Bottlers and brand owners have to match those rules, so the formula can change a bit.
• Sugar taxes
  Many governments now tax drinks that have a lot of sugar. To dodge heavy taxes, brand owners may tweak the recipe in that region. That might mean less sugar, more low calorie sweeteners, or a mix of both.
• Local taste
  People in one country might like a stronger citrus punch. In another, they may prefer a lighter, sweeter flavor. The brand owner for that region, whether it is Keurig Dr Pepper or
• PepsiCo, can approve small changes to match what local buyers like.

The sweetener is one of the biggest differences. A few common setups:

• Sucrose (table sugar) in some countries.
• High fructose corn syrup in places like the U.S.
• Low or zero calorie sweeteners in “diet” or “light” versions.

Even the bubbles can feel different. Some markets prefer higher carbonation, others a softer

fizz. Package sizes change too. What is “standard” might be:

• 12 oz cans in the U.S.
• 330 ml cans in many other countries.
• 1.5L or 2L bottles in some areas, 1.25L in others.

Here is the part that ties back to who owns 7Up. Even when the recipe or size shifts:

• The rights and brand direction still come from the owner in that region.
• In the U.S., that is Keurig Dr Pepper.
• In many other countries, that is PepsiCo.

So you might drink a slightly different version of 7Up in London, Dubai, or Mexico City, but behind the scenes, a brand owner has signed off on that local twist.

How 7Up is marketed by Keurig Dr Pepper vs PepsiCo

The split in ownership also shows up in how 7Up is positioned in ads. The drink is still a lemon lime soda, but the story around it can shift with each company.

In the U.S., under Keurig Dr Pepper, I often see 7Up used in:

• Holiday ads, especially around cooking and baking.
• Mixers for parties, like punch recipes or simple mixed drinks.
• Family friendly campaigns, with a focus on sharing and meals.

The message tends to lean into 7Up as a versatile soda. It can be a drink on its own, a mixer, or even an ingredient in recipes like cakes or glazes. KDP uses 7Up to round out its portfolio next to Dr Pepper and other core sodas.

Under PepsiCo in other markets, 7Up often appears more as a light, refreshing break. You might see:

• Hot weather scenes, with 7Up as a cooling drink.
• Young people hanging out, music, or sport tie ins.
• A focus on refreshment and clear, crisp taste.

PepsiCo sometimes leans into 7Up as the refreshing alternative to darker colas. It sits next to Pepsi, Mirinda, and other brands, but keeps its own clean, citrus identity.

Same core idea, different angle:

• KDP may tie 7Up to home, food, and classic soda moments.
• PepsiCo may push 7Up as a bright, light, on the go drink.

Both paths still answer the same basic need, a fizzy lemon lime soda, but the style reflects the strategy of the company that owns 7Up in that region.

Where 7Up sits on store shelves and in restaurants

Ownership also shapes where you see 7Up in real life. Once I started paying attention, I noticed a few patterns.

In the United States, where Keurig Dr Pepper owns 7Up, you will often see it:

• Grouped with Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, A&W, and other KDP brands.
• Bundled in multipack deals with other KDP sodas.
• Offered in restaurants that have Dr Pepper or KDP fountain contracts.

In a fast food spot that pours KDP drinks, your clear lemon lime choice might be 7Up. The colas in that same machine might come from a different company, depending on the contract, but 7Up is there as part of the KDP family.

In many PepsiCo markets, the shelf story looks different. 7Up often sits:

• Right next to Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda, and other PepsiCo drinks.
• In Pepsi branded coolers and vending machines.
• On soda fountains that pour Pepsi, not Coke.

So if you walk into a restaurant that clearly runs on Pepsi in Europe or parts of the Middle East, your lemon lime tap option is often 7Up. That is because PepsiCo controls the brand in that region, so it uses 7Up as its go to lemon lime soda next to Pepsi.

This is where the big question, who owns 7Up, stops feeling like a legal detail and starts feeling real:

• The brand owner decides where 7Up fits in the drink lineup.
• That choice affects ad style, flavor tweaks, and shelf neighbors.
• What you see in stores and restaurants is the result of those ownership calls.

Once you connect those dots, it becomes easier to explain why your 7Up in Dallas and your 7Up in Dubai feel related, but not always identical. Same logo, shared idea, different hands on the controls in each part of the world.

Common questions about who owns 7Up answered in plain English

At this point, you already know the short answer to who owns 7Up is split between Keurig Dr Pepper in the U.S. and PepsiCo in many other countries. Still, the same question keeps popping up in different forms. So I like to treat this section as a quick FAQ that clears up the most common myths in simple language.

Is 7Up owned by Pepsi or Coca-Cola?

Here is the clean version you can keep in your head:

• In the United States, 7Up is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper.
• Outside the U.S., 7Up is usually controlled by PepsiCo.
• Coca-Cola does not own 7Up in any major market.

So if you are in the U.S., 7Up sits with Keurig Dr Pepper, along with Dr Pepper and Canada Dry.

If you are in Europe, the Middle East, or many parts of Asia, 7Up usually sits in the PepsiCo family, next to Pepsi and Mirinda.

To compare the lemon lime players:

• 7Up in the U.S.: Keurig Dr Pepper
• 7Up in many other countries: PepsiCo
• Sprite: Coca-Cola
• Sierra Mist / Starry: PepsiCo

So Sprite is Coke's lemon lime soda, and Sierra Mist or Starry is PepsiCo's own lemon lime brand. 7Up is the odd one that splits by region, which is why people keep asking who owns it.

Who owns Diet 7Up and other 7Up flavors?

Diet 7Up, cherry versions, and zero sugar options all follow the same owner as regular 7Up in that region. They are not separate brands with new owners. They are just flavors under the same 7Up brand rights.

So:

• In the U.S., Keurig Dr Pepper owns

• 7Up
• Diet 7Up
• Zero or light versions
• Any U.S. limited flavor runs

• In PepsiCo regions, PepsiCo controls

• 7Up
• 7Up Free or 7Up Light
• Regional flavors and line extensions

If a can says 7Up on the front, the owner is the same company that owns the main 7Up in that country. Different sweetener or taste, same legal owner behind it.

Did 7Up ever contain lithium or other unusual ingredients?

This is one of those fun “wait, really?” facts that people love to bring up.

When 7Up first launched in 1929, it was called Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda and the early formula did include lithium salts. At the time, that kind of ingredient was not rare in soft drinks or tonics. The science and rules were very different back then.

That version is long gone. Lithium came out of the recipe many decades ago, well before the current corporate structure. The modern 7Up you buy today, whether from Keurig Dr Pepper in the U.S. or PepsiCo abroad, does not contain lithium.

This is a good example of how brand owners adjust recipes over time:

• Safety rules change.
• Nutrition rules change.
• Consumer tastes change.

So the 7Up in your fridge today is a modern lemon lime soda, not an old style “lithiated” drink from the 1930s.

Who owns the 7Up logo and brand designs?

When we talk about who owns 7Up, we are not just talking about the drink. We are also talking about the logo, designs, and name.

Those pieces are protected as trademarks. In plain English, a trademark is legal protection for names, logos, and brand symbols so other companies can not copy them in a confusing way.

For 7Up, that means:

• The 7Up name
• The classic red dot
• The green and white logo styles
• The main brand artwork

Are all owned or controlled by the company that holds the brand rights in that region.

So:

• In the United States, Keurig Dr Pepper holds the U.S. trademarks for 7Up and its logo.
• In many international markets, PepsiCo or its local subsidiaries hold or license those trademarks.

In some countries, PepsiCo does not “own” the trademark in the deep legal sense, but uses it under a license agreement. The effect for everyday buyers is the same. PepsiCo still controls how the logo looks, where it appears, and how the 7Up brand is presented in that region.

Can the owner of 7Up change again in the future?

Yes, the owner of 7Up can change again. Big drink brands move around more than most people think.

A recent example is the creation of Keurig Dr Pepper itself. Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain combined into one company, and 7Up came along with the Dr Pepper side. That merger changed the corporate chart, but 7Up stayed a lemon lime soda on the shelf.

In the same way, future deals could:

• Merge Keurig Dr Pepper with another company.
• Shift some regional rights to different bottlers.
• Reshape how PepsiCo handles international brands.

If that happens, the answer to who owns 7Up on paper might change again. But the drink would almost surely stay:

• A clear lemon lime soda.
• Under the 7Up name.
• In a green themed brand family.

Companies might change, recipes might tweak for local rules, but no one is going to buy 7Up and turn it into a cola. The core idea is too strong and too familiar, which is why the brand still matters so much in the first place.

Conclusion

When I step back and look at the full picture, the answer to who owns 7up is actually pretty simple. In the United States, 7Up belongs to Keurig Dr Pepper. In many other countries, 7Up sits under PepsiCo. Coca-Cola does not own 7Up at all, it focuses on Sprite instead. The can might look similar from place to place, but the company behind it changes with the market.

That split did not happen by accident. It grew out of older business deals, licensing agreements, and regional rights that were signed long before most of us were old enough to drink soda. U.S. rights stayed with the Dr Pepper side, while PepsiCo gathered the rights to 7Up in lots of international markets. Those contracts are why there is no single global owner, and why the story feels a bit tangled until you trace it back.

Because of that history, ownership does more than sit on a legal document. It shapes where 7Up is made, which bottlers touch it, how sweet it tastes, and how it shows up in ads. A 7Up from a Keurig Dr Pepper bottler in Texas will not be identical to a 7Up poured from a PepsiCo fountain in Paris, even if the logo looks the same. The brand owner steers the recipe, the marketing, and the place 7Up holds on the shelf.

Knowing who owns 7Up actually makes the soda aisle feel clearer to me. When I grab a can, I have a better sense of which company I am supporting and why the taste might feel a bit different when I travel. Next time you pick up 7Up, check the fine print on the label or the logo on the cooler and see which side of the split you are looking at.