The Little Known History How A Man Born Serjad Makmadeen Became Joseph Charles

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 National Archives of Trinidad and TobagoJoseph Charles, the creator of Trinidad and Tobago’s famous Solo soft drink, was born Serjad Makmadeen in Princes Town in 1910.
The son of an East Indian immigrant father and Martiniquan mother, Charles became a gardener at age 10 in order to assist his family financially. In 1922, he moved to St. James and began working at a bakery, where he became a top salesman by cultivating a loyal clientele.
In later years, he purchased the “Delaware Punch” soft-drink company on Patna Street, St. James. He and his wife bottled their drinks manually, producing one bottle of soft drink every two minutes. He sold the drinks to customers while continuing his bread delivery service.
When Charles attempted to market the drink to foreign investors, no one responded to his letters signed with his given name. He decided to change his name to Joseph Charles, which immediately garnered investors.
During World War II, Charles decided to purchase the entire stock of a Canadian bottling company that was shutting down because there was a shortage of glass bottles. When he received them, they were all printed with the word “Solo” and the image of a pilot having a drink after completing a solo flight. Charles decided to keep the bottles and have the name “Solo” become the brand name of his soft-drink company, with their trademark heavy glass bottles. This is how Solo Beverages began.
Solo Beverages has consistently supported local endeavours such as sports (The Trinidad & Tobago Great Race), music (the Solo Harmonites) and talent shows like Scouting for Talent and Mastana Bahar.
Photos courtesy J. Mendes, taken from the book Cote Ci, Cote La. This book is a part of the NATT Reference Library.
References:
Mendes, John. Cote Ci Cote La: Trinidad & Tobago Dictionary. John Mendes, 2003.
Source: From Trinbago Golden Memories