Grape juice didn’t exist, as a product, until 1869. It was invented by a Methodist minister named Thomas Bramwell Welch who sought a non-alcoholic alternative to communion wine. This is where we get Welch’s grape juice to this day.
Christianity Today tells how this happened, excerpted and linked after the jump.
From Luke T. Harrington, How Methodists Invented Your Kid’s Grape Juice Sugar High | The Local Church, Christianity Today:
It’s weird to think about, but a lot of the things we take for granted are almost shockingly recent inventions. The can opener didn’t exist until 1870—nearly a full century after canned food was first produced (people ate so much canned food that year, you guys). Doors have been around forever, but doorknobs weren’t invented until 1878 (and people were finally able to leave their houses). And grape juice?
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