Charles E. Hires Co.

According to an article written in 2005, by Don Yates in "Bottles and Extras," "Charles E. Hires originally developed his root beer as a medicinal syrup or tonic. Around 1875, Hires first bottled his Hires Root Beer Extract and sold it in his Philadelphia pharmacy. The extract would be mixed by the buyer with water, sugar, and yeast on his premises."