[1] The company was formed in 1985 by Nick A. Caporella to fend off an unwanted acquisition by Victor Posner of Burnup & Sims Inc., an installer of cable television and telecommunications systems, through trading stock between the two companies to reduce Posner's ownership level.

Caporella, now having an additional company, needed to have a business to go with it and acquired Shasta Beverages from Sara Lee Corporation in 1985 for US$40 million in cash and Burnup & Sims shares.

[2] To make National a major player, Caporella purchased Faygo, a Midwest regional soft drink manufacturer, from Tree Sweet Products Corp.[3] With its 12 bottling plants, National subsidiaries branched out into bottling store brands.

[1] In the early 2000s, National purchased Beverage Canners International Inc., Ritz, and Crystal Bay soft drinks and sparkling waters brands owner.

National moved to create new products for specific markets starting in 2003 with Shasta Shortz, a kid-focused soda.