Vee Chen ’25

Enclosed in an aluminum can and recognized for its dominating presence in our childhoods, soda remains an unparalleled staple in American culture.

Oftentimes, it is common for people to associate happiness with this sweet treat. The carbonation sparkles in your mouth and as you swallow, a sugary flavor envelopes your tongue—leaving a lasting impression and feelings of delight.

Setting aside the taste, soda embodies the concept of livelihood. For the average citizen, the drink is the tangible feeling of a job well done. On the other hand, after a demanding day, it serves as a reward for your efforts. 

Student Juliana Murguz ’25 expresses, “As a kid, getting a soda would be what I looked forward to after playing in the summer heat for hours on end.”

Soda has the power of bringing forth many different emotions and memories. For some, soda is accompanied by the reminisce of cotton candy and peanuts from their first baseball game when excitement filled the air and intense anticipation awaited the ambiguous score. 

These variance of moments weave together to support the ultimate goal of Alameda Soda. They strive to reinstate the evanescence of what soda is—a bridge to all the unique events that shape our lives.

Co-founder and CEO of Alameda Soda company Sky Pace explains, “Our soda is like a time machine in a can. Each sip brings back moments—hopefully shared with friends or family, in memorable places, doing unforgettable things. It’s similar to how a song can transport you back in time, tying flavors to memories.”

To achieve this feat, the crafting process has to be very intrinsic. It takes about six months of tedious making, tasting and naming to conjure a physical form for each flavor and experience.

Pace continued about the inspiration and creation process by commenting, “Hangar 25 is where we are located in Alameda. It’s an old naval air base in an aircraft hangar that once was designated building 25. We created the flavor in that building. Oaktown old fashioned Root Beer was conceived when I was in Old Town Oakland. Each flavor has a similar story.”

Not only was there careful consideration of what story they wanted to invoke in their customers, they also were sure to remove any harmful ingredients that are generally used in many of their big brand competitors. 

Another part of what makes Alameda Soda so special is that their main focus of the company is the replacement of high fructose corn syrup. They stress their use of another alternative: cane sugar. 

Although one may assume that the taste is unnatural since it is not something we are familiar with, the majority states that the difference is hardly noticeable; in fact, it may as well be the same. 

Student Novia Cyr ’25 stated, “I really liked the soda. It tasted just like Coca-Cola. It was refreshing and delicious!”

This small but large change in ingredients has a considerable impact on our bodies despite not being able to taste it. 

Science teacher Julia Stricker-Balistreri stated, “If your liver can’t process the fructose fast enough, it gets overloaded and creates fat which consequently slows down your body.”

These statistics show the innate consequences that bigger companies tend to neglect. Though, this information is not to imply that cane sugar does not come with its own problems. It’s meant to be taken in moderation. 

Although Alameda Soda is consciously making a healthier choice for consumers, the company has made it clear that they are not selling a healthy drink. It is still soda at the end of the day. 

Their main message is that they are making soda as clean as possible with natural ingredients. They bring back soda’s simplicity and it helps that the long term effects attract customers. 

Student Alexandria Neil ’25 stated, “I was never aware of the prolonged symptoms of soda before. It’s reassuring to know that a company is preaching honesty and actually researching how to improve. I look forward to their future.”