Coca-Cola
John Stith Pemberton, a Confederate Colonel wounded in the American Civil War and addicted to morphine, created Coca-Cola in Atlanta. He registered his French Wine Coca nerve tonic at Eagle Drug and Chemical House on the 8th of May 1886. The drink was marketed as a temperance beverage when Atlanta passed prohibition legislation that same year. Jacob's Pharmacy sold the first glass for five cents on the 8th of May 1886. Pemberton claimed it cured many diseases including morphine addiction and headaches. Three versions of the drink were on the market by 1888. Asa Griggs Candler purchased a one-third interest in the formula on the 14th of April 1888. Walker, Candler & Co. obtained all of the one-third interest Charley held for $50 down and $500 in 30 days. John Pemberton died suddenly on the 16th of August 1888. Candler maneuvered to purchase exclusive rights to the name from Charley immediately after learning of Pemberton's death. One story states he offered Margaret Dozier $300 cash for the rights at the funeral. By the 1st of May 1899, Candler claimed full ownership with an investment totaling $2,300. On the 12th of September 1919, investors led by Ernest Woodruff's Trust Company bought Coca-Cola Co. for $25 million.
The first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn Candy Company on the 12th of March 1894. Joseph A. Biedenharn was the proprietor of the bottling works. Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead proposed the idea of bottling and signed a contract giving them control for only one dollar. Chattanooga became the site of the first Coca-Cola bottling company in 1899. The original bottles were Hutchinson bottles which differed greatly from the later hobble-skirt design. Legal matters were complicated because bottlers subcontracted to other companies effectively becoming parent bottlers. The contract specified that bottles would be sold at five cents each with no fixed duration. This agreement held the price of Coca-Cola from 1886 to 1959. The Coca-Cola Company produces concentrate which is then sold to licensed bottlers throughout the world. Bottlers produce the finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate mixed with filtered water and sweeteners. Independent bottlers are allowed to sweeten the drink according to local tastes. The company owns minority shares in some franchises such as Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company and Coca-Cola FEMSA.
Coca-Cola's two key ingredients when launched were cocaine derived from coca leaves and caffeine from kola nuts. Pemberton called for five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup approximately 37 g/L. In 1903, fresh coca leaves were removed from the formula. After 1904, the company used spent leaves containing trace levels of cocaine. By 1929, Coca-Cola has used a cocaine-free coca leaf extract prepared at a Stepan Company plant in Maywood, New Jersey. The exact formula for natural flavorings remains a trade secret. A typical can contains 39 grams of sugar and 34 mg of caffeine. The original copy of the formula was held in Truist Financial's main vault in Atlanta for 86 years. On the 8th of December 2011, the original secret formula moved into a new vault on display for visitors to its World of Coca-Cola museum. Joya Williams stole the formula along with accomplices Ibrahim Dimson and Edmund Duhaney to sell it to Pepsi for $1.5 million. The FBI set up a sting operation leading to their arrest. The government sued in United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola in 1911 hoping to force removal of caffeine.
Coca-Cola's first advertisement appeared inside an 1886 issue of the Atlanta Journal calling the drink delicious and refreshing. Hilda Clark appeared as the spokeswoman in 1895 wearing smartly dressed attire. The company did not start using the modern image of Santa Claus until the 1930s with illustrations by Haddon Sundblom. White Rock Beverages used Santa in advertisements for ginger ale in 1923 before Coca-Cola adopted the motif. In 1971, a song from a commercial called I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing became a hit single produced by Billy Davis. The term cola wars emerged during the 1950s describing the battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. A 1994 campaign featured Selena who filmed three commercials for the company. Special Selena Coke bottles were issued to commemorate her five years with the firm. Debuted in 1995, the Holidays are coming! advertisement featured a train of red delivery trucks driving through snow. The ad fell into disuse in 2001 but returned in 2007 after consumers telephoned the information center. In November 2024, Coca-Cola released three short AI-generated videos as Christmas ads which drew backlash on social media.
Coca-Cola was first sold in Britain on the 31st of August 1900. The Cuba Libre mix between Coca-Cola and rum was created in Havana shortly after the Spanish-American War of 1898. International reach remained limited until the 1940s when the brand expanded throughout South America and Europe. Fanta was initially conceived by the German subsidiary as an emergency replacement due to wartime trade embargoes. Since announcing its intention to begin distribution in Myanmar in June 2012, Coca-Cola has been officially available in every country except Cuba and North Korea. Operations suspended in Russia after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. A fatwa was created in Egypt to discuss whether Muslims were permitted to drink Coca-Cola and Pepsi cola. The company entered the Chinese market in the 1920s with no localized representation before settling on Kěkou kělè meaning to allow the mouth to be able to rejoice. Importation resumed in 1979 after diplomatic relations between the United States and China were restored. White Coke production occurred briefly for Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov who did not want to be seen drinking a symbol of American imperialism. Consumer boycotts exist in Arab countries due to early investment in Israel during the Arab League boycott.
In 2019, BreakFreeFromPlastic named Coca-Cola the single biggest plastic polluter in the world. Volunteers collected 476,423 pieces of plastic waste from around where they lived finding 11,732 pieces labeled with a Coca-Cola brand across 37 countries. In February 2022, Coca-Cola announced it will aim to make 25 percent of its packaging reusable by 2030. The drink is rich in sugars which causes dental caries when consumed regularly. High caloric value contributes to obesity as major health issues in the developed world. A video leaked in February 2021 showed training sessions telling employees to try to be less white. PepsiCo started marketing drinks to African Americans beginning in the 1940s attacking Coke's reluctance to hire blacks. Support by the chairman for segregationist Governor Herman Talmadge resulted in market share shifting dramatically in the 1950s. Coca-Cola received criticism after a video of a training session was leaked by an employee. The company stated customers like them because they reseal and are lightweight while business won't be in business if we don't accommodate consumers.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
Who created Coca-Cola and when was it registered?
John Stith Pemberton, a Confederate Colonel wounded in the American Civil War, created Coca-Cola. He registered his French Wine Coca nerve tonic at Eagle Drug and Chemical House on the 8th of May 1886.
When did the first bottling of Coca-Cola occur and where?
The first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn Candy Company on the 12th of March 1894. Joseph A. Biedenharn was the proprietor of the bottling works that produced the drink.
What were the original ingredients used in Coca-Cola when launched?
Coca-Cola's two key ingredients when launched were cocaine derived from coca leaves and caffeine from kola nuts. The formula included five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup approximately 37 g/L before fresh leaves were removed in 1903.
How much did investors pay to buy Coca-Cola Co. in 1919?
Investors led by Ernest Woodruff's Trust Company bought Coca-Cola Co. for $25 million on the 12th of September 1919. This transaction marked a major shift in ownership following Asa Griggs Candler's earlier acquisition efforts.
Which countries currently do not officially sell Coca-Cola?
Coca-Cola has been officially available in every country except Cuba and North Korea since announcing its intention to begin distribution in Myanmar in June 2012. Operations suspended in Russia after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine but remain absent from those specific nations.