The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Inspired by Jell-O's powdered form, Edwin Perkins worked to transform his liquid drink concentrate, Fruit Smack, into a portable powder. After trial and error, potentially with help from a compounding pharmacist in Florida, he succeeded in creating the winning formula for Kool-Aid. This innovation aimed to solve the problem of breaking bottles when selling the drink concentrate.
“He thought back to his childhood, at the general store, and to Jell-O. And he started tinkering.”
“Like a mad scientist in his lab, Edwin sent out to transform Fruit Smack into a perfectly portable powdered potion. After some trial and error, and as Teresa tells me, some possible help from a compounding pharmacist in Florida, Edwin came up with a winning formula. He called it Kool-Aid.”