Reading Soda
Reading Soda Works has been producing old-fashioned soft drinks in Reading, Pennsylvania, since 1921. The business was originally established by Peter Lysczek as ABC Soda. His son later founded Reading Draft Birch and Carbonic Gas, helping build the Reading Draft name around traditional Pennsylvania soda flavors.
In 2015, Denton and Lisa Conner purchased the longtime local company with their family and renamed it Reading Soda Works & Carbonic Supply. They preserved familiar favorites such as birch beer, white birch, root beer, sarsaparilla and vanilla cream while introducing additional fruit, cream and seasonal varieties.
Reading Soda Works continues to make its soda in small batches using pure cane sugar, natural ingredients and a traditional slow-carbonation process. Instead of quickly forcing carbonation into the soda, the company uses a carbonation stone to slowly infuse fine bubbles over approximately two days. This method helps create a smoother taste and allows the soda to remain crisp and fizzy longer after opening.
More than a century after its founding, Reading Soda Works still produces its drinks in Reading. Its classic glass bottles, Pennsylvania Dutch flavors and carefully crafted recipes offer the nostalgic experience of an old-fashioned soda fountain while also including newer creations such as blueberry white birch and black cherry cream.
