Kool-Aid got its start in Hastings, Nebraska. In the early 1900s, Edwin Perkins enjoyed studying chemistry and inventions. His father opened a general store and he became fascinated with food products. He started his own company, Perkins Products, and experimented with methods to remove the liquid from a concentrated drink mix called Fruit Smack. The resulting powder was repackaged under the name "Kool-Ade," and later changed to "Kool-Aid," the name that's so popular today. More than 563 million gallons are consumed in a year.