Who are they? You might just have heard of this lot. Accordi

Britvic might be among the biggest, but it's also one of the oldest.

The name is an abbreviation of the British Vitamin Products Company, set up in the mid-19th century and run from a chemist shop in Chelmsford, Essex.

The company was soon producing a wide range that included lemonades, mineral waters and non-alcoholic beers, but it only began making fruit juices in 1938 to give its poorest customers access to vitamin C in depression-hit Britain.

The Britvic brand was formerly launched in 1949, and the company was re-named Britvic in 1971 in recognition of the drink's appeal.

The present Britvic Soft Drinks Company was formed in 1986 following a merger with Canada Dry Rawlings, owners of R Whites Lemonade and Canada Dry.

Since then other purchases include: the soft drinks section of Beechams and the UK franchise of Pepsi and 7 Up (1987), Robinsons (1995), Orchid Drinks (2000) and the energy drink Red Devil in 2002.

Britvic is currently in an upbeat mood after a superb summer for soft drinks in the on-trade.

The sector rose 6% overall in the 12 months to October, with J2O and Pepsi showing impressive sales as Britain basked in sunshine.

The company also has the honour of sponsoring a Portman Group campaign promoting responsible drinking.

Its aim is to encourage people to drink non-alcoholic alternatives to help cut binge drinking over the Christmas period ­ and boost Britvic sales.

Main brands: Pepsi and J2O are Britvic's biggest sellers.

J2O is also the fastest growing soft drinks brand in the UK on-trade, with 131% sales value growth in the past year.

Don't mention: Fire.

A dramatic blaze caused extensive damage to Britvic's Chelmsford factory in November 2001.

Ten fire engines and more than 50 firefighters had to be called to tackle the inferno.

At the time a fire brigade spokesman said the chemical involved in the outbreak was caustic soda, used to clean drink-making equipment.

Future plans: Promotions galore ­ 2003 has seen high-profile campaigns across the Britvic range, involving celebrities such as David Beckham and pop acts Blue and Ms Dynamite (Pepsi), and Frank Skinner (J2O).

Details are scarce, but they promise more for 2004.