There are brands that capture the attention of the public for many decades, which are equally known to several generations and people from different social strata. So, mothers, fathers and children, millionaires and beggars, politicians and ordinary office workers know about the legendary Coca-Cola drink. The history of Coca-Cola stretches over 130 years. This brand, according to marketers, is known to more than 94% of the population in the world, and the symbol of the most popular soft drink has become a symbol of all America. So where did it all start?
The history of the creation of the Coca-Cola company began back in 1886. John Stith Pemberton, an Atlanta resident, was a retired amateur chemist and owner of a small pharmaceutical company when he came up with a sweet syrup formulation to treat nervous disorders. Pemberton believed that in addition to affecting the nervous system, his medicine could also get rid of problems with potency and dependence on morphine (to which the inventor himself was somewhat addicted).
The resulting drink was very sweet and thick, and it was based on coca leaves (the cocaine used in the drink then seemed to be the only useful ingredient that cannot harm human health) and nuts of the tropical cola tree in a ratio of 3: 1. The name of the drink - Coca-Cola - was coined by Pemberton's accountant and written by him in beautiful calligraphic letters, which have survived unchanged to this day.
John's friend advised him to take his invention to the largest local pharmacy, where the syrup began to be sold to customers in a special machine. One glass cost five cents, but the drink did not gain much popularity. At first, only 9 cups of syrup were sold per day, and this continued for a year. Pemberton's total revenue for this period was only 50 USD, while the production demanded 70 USD.
However, over time, the drink began to gain the attention of buyers, and here began the success story of Coca-Cola. By the end of 1886, the drink became carbonated, and the history of Coca-Cola in "carbonated" form is quite interesting. Once a pharmacy visitor who came with a hangover asked for a glass of Cola, but the pharmacist was too lazy to go to the other end of the hall for water, and he offered to dilute the medicinal syrup with soda. The visitor really liked the taste of the resulting drink, and soon this recipe spread to all Atlanta pharmacies.
The real shift came with the introduction of Prohibition. Then the inventor of the recipe was forced to sell the formula and equipment, and most of his firm was sold to the seller who first mixed Coca-Cola with soda. Pemberton himself received $2,000 for his invention. Probably, this money was not enough for a prosperous life, and the inventor of the world famous drink in the future died in poverty. The tombstone on his grave appeared only seventy years later.
Further, the history of the Coca-Cola brand became closely interconnected with the name of the impoverished visitor Az Candler, who settled in Atlanta and, based on a recipe bought from Pemberton's wife, launched the production of Coca-Cola. So, in 1893, a company with an officially registered trademark arose. In 1894, the first bottled Cola was sold, sold in a rectangular transparent container. The first factory for the production of bottles with a drink appeared in the last year of the 19th century.
The formula of the drink was constantly improved, and over time, cocaine, harmful to health, was withdrawn from coca leaves. Also, the head of the company used many, at that time completely new, marketing moves. For example, Kendler sent a certain amount of free Coca-Cola to pharmacies in exchange for the addresses of their regular customers, so that he could then send them coupons for one free glass of Coke. In addition, in addition to the drink, branded souvenirs were also sold, which increased brand awareness among the population.
This paid off, and the enterprise began to increase its own scale. In 1916, the production of Cola in original bottles was launched, the format and design of which we can recognize among many others. The designer, Benjamin Thomas, wanted to create the most memorable shape and look, so that Coca-Cola products could be recognized, according to Thomas, even in the dark. The idea of creating just such original bottles - with an extension to the bottom - was borrowed from the then fashionistas, who wore skirts with an interception below the waist. This was another key to the universal recognition of the Coca-Cola brand, whose success story developed at a rapid pace.
Coca-Cola advertising campaigns become especially successful when the brand becomes associated with Santa Claus. In this regard, many even think that it was the company that came up with their favorite New Year's character, and they explain this by the fact that Santa is always dressed in red and white clothes and always has the coveted bottle of Coke with him.
The history of the Coca-Cola brand is a story of tremendous success: today the corporation owns eleven large companies around the world and a couple of dozen separate bottlers. For example, in the Asian region, Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. pleases customers with its products, and in America - Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
Many mistakenly think that the history of the Coca-Cola company is connected only with the release of Cola, but in fact, thousands of bottles with a variety of drinks pass daily on the conveyors of this business giant. More than 2/3 of the world's sales volume belongs to the three "flagships":
Cola's advertising campaign deserves special attention: a whole marketing department works tirelessly to keep the attention of its multi-million audience. Take a look at the recent marketing ploy with different names on Cola bottles, thanks to which each user wants to find exactly his name on his favorite drink. Surely, many of us have also seen the colorful advertising of the New Year holidays, which says that the New Year is impossible to spend without Coca-Cola.
The legendary drink, which has not become less popular than it was in the last century, is today one of the most recognizable brands in the world. The Cola trademark in red and white is hard to confuse with anything else. A sponsor of many sports competitions and an essential attribute of the Christmas holidays, the drink still pleases us with its unforgettable taste and offers options even for those who care about their health and figure. The history of the Coca-Cola Company is the history of absolute superiority in the field of soft drinks.
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The history of the company, the producer of the Coca-Cola drink, is a chain of competent management decisions in the field of production technology, marketing, and advertising for over 100 years.
The product of The Coca-Cola Company is sold officially in more than 200 countries of the world. It is known today to 94% of the world's population. Every day, customers around the world purchase just under a billion units of the company's products.
We offer you a brief history of the creation of the legendary drink and the success story of the world-famous company.
The history of the drink began with the pharmacist Pemberton. He, in search of a recipe for a good tonic, decided to combine two powerful stimulants: he added cola nut extract to the coca drink. The result was a mixture that has a really strong tonic property. Having finalized the technology for preparing the drug, he demonstrated it in May 1886 to local investors. The money received went to the organization of production.
Frank Robinson
The syrup was patented as a drug to restore the nervous system. They began to sell it in the pharmacies of the city. In the summer, in one of them, the seller Willie Venable decided, at the request of the visitor, to dilute the medicinal concentrate not with water, but with soda. The guest liked the sizzling mixture very much, since then the drink was consumed in carbonated form.
However, Coca-Cola did not bring Pemberton a decent income. He was forced to sell part of his share to the pharmacist Venable, the first seller of carbonated cola. The author of the legendary sweet water recipe died in poverty in August 1888.
A few months later, the patented prescription was purchased from the pharmacist's widow by Irish-born Kendler. The transaction amount was $2300. For comparison: the average annual salary of an American worker at that time was $570.
Asa Kendler, Founder of The Coca-Cola Company
The Irishman Kendler immediately believed in Coca Cola. He saw in it a drink that could cure many diseases and bring profit to its creators. With the help of Robinson, he develops a more perfect composition, using the original, improves its taste.
Together with three partners, Kendler in January 1893 registers an enterprise for the production of this product. Thus began the history of The Coca-Cola Company. If Pemberton is considered to be the author of the drink, then Aza Candler is the founder of the company.
Under Kendler, the company grew into a successful $120,000 corporation in nine years, and Coca-Cola became the national soft drink.
The first thing the 42-year-old Kendler took up was organizing advertising. A simple, well-remembered and catchy logo began to accompany Americans, and then residents of other countries, everywhere. He could be found on the titles of fashion publications, seen on large billboards. Visual propaganda was accompanied by well-chosen appeals, slogans, and laconic formulations. Coca-Cola's advertising plots featured bright and conspicuous images, well-known actors and sportsmen participated in them. All this was positively and enthusiastically perceived by the public.
A trading department is being created in the company, where intelligent and energetic people are recruited. New and unknown for that time forms of product promotion are used.
So, by agreement, pharmacies were supplied with a certain amount of syrup for free, and in return they received addresses of regular customers. Each of them was sent coupons in the mail, which could be used to purchase a free serving of cola. People came to the institution, drank a glass, then, as a rule, ordered a second portion, and also bought home.
The drink was sold on tap
The popularity of tonic grew every day. Since 1895, it has already been sold in all states of the country, and since March 1894, not only in bottling, but also in bottles.
The affairs of the company and its shareholders were on the rise. Annually board paid decent dividends. A factory built by franchise partners went into operation in Tennessee. Activities outside the States began to unfold. The first countries of foreign expansion were Cuba, and then Panama.
The popular drink began to be counterfeited by competitors. The firm had to make a lot of effort in the war against manufacturers of fake products: a total of 153 lawsuits were filed against them.
An important event in strengthening and developing the image of the company and its product was the appearance in 1916 of a branded bottle. It contributed to further growth in sales of Cola.
The evolution of the signature Cola bottle
The public of Atlanta insisted on the election of Kendler mayor of the city. He gradually retires, and in 1919 his offspring is bought by an Atlanta banker, Ernest Woodroof, for $25 million. He enlists his son to work, and four years later, Robert Woodroffe is elected president of the corporation. Under him, the corporation reached its current heights in its development.
Robert Woodroof
The new manager immediately introduced standards in all labor processes, up to the sale of a drink. Buyers began to offer six-packs, special packaging boxes of 6 bottles, which subsequently enjoyed popularity for several decades. The company was the first to use bottled Coca-Cola vending machines, remote refrigeration units, which were installed in various stores.
Standard pack of six bottles
Woodroof radically revised the strategy for large-scale sales of finished products. Since Coca-Cola did not surpass its analogues in terms of its consumer qualities, he proposed to sell not so much a product as a way of life. The drink acquired a special image, it became not so much a means of quenching thirst, but, as it were, involved its owner in the circle of prosperous lucky ones, or in the circle of strong and courageous heroes.
Like a real psychologist and marketer, Woodroof persistently pursued the line that with your product you must definitely follow the client. A bottle of cola should accompany an American everywhere: at work, on vacation, in hours of difficult trials. The drink is distributed at gas stations that are multiplying across the country. He comes to the cinema, appears on the screens of cinemas and becomes inseparable from the American way of life.
During the period of American participation in the World War, Woodroffe took out billions in loans to build a network of factories for the production and bottling of Cola into bottles for American soldiers in Europe, North Africa, China, and the Pacific region. The first of 64 factories was opened in Algiers.
After the war, Cola's popularity grew even more. The constructed foreign enterprises have become a springboard for conquering foreign markets. In 1968, half of the company's profits came from overseas deals.
Woodroof stepped down as CEO in 1954, but remained on the board of directors until 1984.
The history of the Coca-Cola brand is very simple and ordinary. When in 1886 Pemberton began to prepare for a patent for an invention, the question arose about the name of the liquid. His partner Frank Robinson suggested composing it from the names of the two components of the syrup: coca drink and cola nuts. It turned out Coca-Cola. The name took root and was liked by everyone: both sellers and buyers.
Today, the phrase Coca-Cola, according to the results of marketing research, is considered the second most famous after the word "okay".
The Coca-Cola logo, like the name, was invented by the same Frank Robinson.
The history of the logo has more than 130 years, but despite such a long period, the general style of the inscription emblem has remained unchanged. Over time, the style of the letters changed slightly, it became brighter.
Logo evolution
For the first time, they tried to portray the logo in a different way already in 1890. The attempt was considered unsuccessful, the bizarre style did not attract the attention of visitors. Three years later, Kendler brought back the old look.
During the Second World War, the style of the inscription approached the modern one. In 1958, the background of the emblem was red. After 11 years, a white wave was added to the inscription. In 1980, the wave began to slightly intersect with the inscription. The word CLASSIC appeared on the image. After 23 years, three waves of white and yellow have already appeared. All of them are placed to the bottom of the inscription.
The current image was made in 2007. Instead of three waves, one again appeared, it is located under the title text. There are also specially prepared versions of the logo made for the 125th anniversary of the birth of the drink and the 100th anniversary of the first glass bottle.
The Coca-Cola formula was officially classified by the company. On Candler's orders, the original copy of the recipe was deposited with the Trust Company bank. Since 1925, it was kept in another bank in the city of Atlanta. In 2011, the classified material was transferred to a special corporation vault built next to the main office.
In 1980 Cola was the official drink of the Moscow Olympics.
1982 Diet Coke developed and launched.
1988 For the first time in the USSR, the production of Coca-Cola began at the Moskvoretsky brewery.
Hong Kong residents drink hot cola to treat colds.
Since 1928, when Coca-Cola provided 1,000 cases of its water at the Amsterdam Olympics, the company has been a permanent sponsor of the Olympic Movement. Coca-Cola sponsors all major sporting events, including football and hockey world championships, top-level tennis tournaments.
Coca-Cola was the first Western company to place its advertisement in Moscow on Pushkin Square in 1989.
In 1931, Coca-Cola came up with its own image of Santa Claus for Americans. The image of an elf was replaced by a good-natured, cheerful old man with a thick white beard. He was pictured wearing a red fur coat, emphasizing the colors of the brand, and holding a bottle of incendiary drink in his hands. Everyone liked the image and became a symbol of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Currently, the Coca-Cola company has secret recipes for three thousand types of drinks, has the rights to hundreds of brands.
The strategy of the corporation is based on the promotion of the product to all countries of the world with the aim of occupying a dominant position in the global industry. In this, the company has excelled, and its history is a classic example for the study of marketing.
The activity of the giant is based on the organization of a system of work with partner bottlers.
Bottlers are regional firms that bottle and sell the product directly to the consumer.
The company supplies them with concentrates, provides support in setting up production, training staff, purchasing commercial equipment, provides advertising materials and performs quality control.
Now the company employs about 300 bottlers around the world, among which there are both large international companies and small enterprises.
Coca-Cola has been operating in Russia for 36 years. The Kola system has 12 factories employing 11,000 people. More than 65,000 work in related fields, supplying the company with sugar and other components of production.
Coca-Cola plant in Moscow
In general, the position of the corporation can be called stable. However, in the past 2017, sales of the drink decreased by 4.3%. In the US, there is a drop in demand for carbonated sweet drinks, some experts speculate about a decrease in the value of the company's shares in 2018.
Raising the topic of the most common drinks today, one should recall the history of the appearance of Coca-Cola. Today, many interesting facts are known regarding this drink consumed by many.
If you look at the very beginning of the history of the emergence of the Coca-Cola company, you can be amazed at the following fact: in the first year of the appearance of a carbonated drink, now known to almost everyone, its release was unprofitable for its producers and creators. The revenue for the entire first year was about 50 dollars, and after all, 70 were invested!
The very birth of Coca-Cola, its history. The recipe for this drink was compiled in 1886 by amateur chemist John Stith Pemberton, who owned a pharmaceutical company. One day, John made syrup and treated it to his friend, accountant Frank Robinson. No one then could have thought that this everyday episode would serve as the beginning of the creation of the most advanced Coca-Cola company.
Having written down the recipe for the syrup on Frank's advice, John took it to the largest pharmacy, Jacobs' Pharmacy. The first servings of syrup were sold at a price of 5 cents per 200 grams. It consisted of 3 parts of coca leaves and one part of tropical kola nuts. The patent for this invention claimed that it was "a cure for any disorders of the nervous system." John Stith himself claimed that the syrup helps to wean oneself from addiction to morphine and can heal impotence.
An interesting name, consisting of the names of the ingredients of the syrup, written with a hyphen, came up with the same accountant Frank Robinson, who was the first taster of the "medicine for nerves." He also wrote the words "Coca-Cola" in his own calligraphic handwriting - this is how the history of the famous Coca-Cola brand, which is still the logo of the drink, began.
Later, the logo of the now well-known brand was patented by the US Bureau. Bright red curly letters on a white background were the main details of the brand. Later, the logo was modified: a huge red-brown drop appeared behind white letters.
But the employees of the Coca-Cola company strictly followed and are now making sure that no one from the outside "encroach" even on the elements of the brand's corporate identity. Litigations arose over the most seemingly insignificant trifles: the use of a similar font, the use of red for a different logo, the color of the drink, the smell.
Needless to say, the Coca-Cola Company had no losses? Competitors were destroyed by it easily and with pleasure, the prestige of the Coca-Cola brand was steadily increasing.
But the current glory appeared in Coca-Cola much later. And at the very beginning, in 1886, the syrup was modestly sold in pharmacies, without much success. And who would have thought that the history of the creation of the current carbonated drink will begin with the light hand of Willy Venable, a pharmacy pharmacist, who was too lazy to go for tap water. Instead of ordinary water, a lazy salesman suggested that a hangover-ridden visitor add soda to the syrup. The resulting "pop" led the man to complete delight!
Since then, Coca-Cola has been sold only in combination with soda. However, it was impossible to call this enterprise profitable at that time: in a year, the sale of Coca-Cola brought businessmen a loss of $ 20,000 ...
In the same 1886, a dry law is introduced in Atlanta, which is an undoubted positive moment for Coca-Cola. However, Pemberton's health was deteriorating by that time, and his financial situation was greatly shaken. And he decides to sell the treasured recipe and equipment. Moreover, the same lazy salesman who made the discovery of a “pop” based on Coca-Cola syrup receives two-thirds of the beverage company.
For his invention, Pemberton received only 2 thousand dollars and died a beggar in 1888 in mid-August. His grave is in the cemetery for the poor. And only in 1958, a stone tombstone appeared on the grave of the founder of the Coca-Cola company.
The history of the development of the Coca-Cola company begins its chronicle with the appearance in Atlanta of the poorest Irish immigrant Az Kender. Having managed to turn his dollar in a compartment with 75 cents into a small capital in a short time, he buys the recipe for “coca-cola” from the widow of John Steet for 2.3 thousand dollars.
The story goes on to say that in 1893 it was Asa Candler who registered The Coca-Cola Company in Georgia. The initial authorized capital of the company was one hundred thousand dollars. He also registered the trademark "Coca-Cola", which has been used since 1886. In the same 1893, the shareholders of The Coca-Cola Company received their first, albeit small, dividends.
With the advent of a new director, the history of the development of the company for the production and sale of Coca-Cola begins its new round of ascent. Together with Frank Robinson, Asa Kendler is developing a new drink recipe that mercilessly removes cocaine from the ingredients, but improves the taste and extends the shelf life. Moreover, the invigorating effect on the body of the drink is preserved, which is a huge plus for Coca-Cola.
Asa Kendler proves to be an excellent marketer. He calculates his advertising moves surprisingly accurately:
Today, all these tricks are known to every advertising agency. But in those years for "coca-cola" it was a turning point in the history of the company's production and sale of non-alcoholic invigorating drink.
1916 in the history of the development of the Coca-Cola company, another important event took place - the appearance of a unique bottle "with a waist". Now the brand has become recognizable not only thanks to the original logo, but also due to its creative capacity. After all, the shape of the bottle was so reminiscent of a women's year-round skirt, super fashionable at that time, with a narrow waist and a smoothly expanding bottom.
The image of the Coca-Cola company is growing even higher after such a publicity stunt, when the bottle is "handed over" to everyone's favorite Santa Claus. The history of the development of the Coca-Cola company is enriched with another interesting fact and takes a step up the ladder of the ranking of sales of consumer products.
1931 - Santa Claus, commissioned by the Coca-Cola company, receives his current appearance, which was “given to him” by the American artist Haddon Sundblom: the face of the artist himself and a red robe with a white trim.
1939 - the beginning of the cold war with PepsiCo in connection with the use of the latter in its name the word "cola", which "Coca-Cola" considered part of its trademark. Despite the peace agreement, the companies continue the quiet but relentless battle for supremacy.
1958 - the debut of "Fanta", which is the brainchild of the Coca-Cola company.
1961 - the birth of another drink, known today to everyone under the name "Sprite".
1960 - the appearance of drinks from the Coca-Cola company in cans.
1977 - the appearance of drinks in plastic bottles with a capacity of 2 liters.
Perhaps now you cannot find a person who has not tried this legendary drink at least once. Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable and expensive brands in the world. It surpasses Microsoft, Google and Nokia. Its assets total about $100 billion. The drink is actively consumed in more than 200 countries. The Coca-Cola Company has changed the outlook of people around the world, imposed its instillations and ideas on people all over the planet. But it was not always so. The world learned about it only in 1889. Although, the history of the Coca-Cola brand began on May 8, 1886. Pharmacist J. Pemberton demonstrates to investors the medicine he has created and receives the necessary investments. These investments help an unknown entrepreneur to start a small production of an antidepressant, which, moreover, was excellent for fighting fatigue, and costing only 5 cents. And this miraculous drug was called none other than Coca-Cola.
Yes, yes, for the first time, Coca-Cola appeared on the shelves of pharmacies, not stores. Yes, and the name of the drug was more than justified, because the main active ingredients in the drink were coca leaves (the very thing from which cocaine is made) and cola tree nuts (they contain large amounts of caffeine and theobromine). So, the taste of that first Cola was significantly different from the one we know now. But, whatever it was, Coca-Cola began to be sold in pharmacies, and absolutely not in demand among the population. Nobody wanted to buy it. It seemed that the collapse of the still unborn brand was inevitable. But, here, one of the sellers decides to experiment, and adds soda water (soda) to the drink. And it is in this embodiment that the product begins to enjoy wild popularity among buyers.
In 1889, a resourceful, purposeful and unknown Irish immigrant named Asa Griggs Candler decides to take a chance and buys the rights to produce Coca-Cola from Pemberton for $2,300. And from that moment on, the Coca-Cola brand begins to turn into a transatlantic giant, which will soon conquer the whole world.
The first thing Candler does is register the Coca-Cola trademark and form The Coca-Cola Company. In fact, it lays the foundation for the strategy for the future development of the brand, namely, the emphasis on advertising. The grandiose success of the brand is due only to competent and unprecedented advertising. Coca-Cola could not and cannot compete in the market neither in quality nor in taste. Everything that Coca-Cola has now, it has only thanks to advertising.
But, nevertheless, we will return to the distant XIX century. Three years have passed since Candler acquired the rights to produce Coca-Cola, and the brand is already becoming the most famous drink in the United States. And after another 7 years, a small production, bought for $ 2,300, Candler sells to a group of investors for $ 25 million!
In this regard, it is very interesting to consider what steps Candler used in the development of Coca-Cola, how in a few years he was able to achieve such success.
First, he used a sustainable brand in the form of a logo, which, by the way, has never changed since its inception. The history of the Coca-Cola logo began in the days of Pemberton, it was then that Frank Robinson, Pemberton's accountant, drew white calligraphic letters on a red background, and the name Coca-Cola itself was also invented by Robinson.
Under the leadership of Candler, the logo was promoted as and wherever they could: placed on souvenirs, printed on flyers. As a result, the logo has firmly entered the minds of the townsfolk. It got to the point that the logo began to be copied by other, lesser-known brands of soda. In 1916 alone, the Coca-Cola Company launched over 150 lawsuits against plagiarism of its logo.
Another of Candler's innovations was playing on American sentiment. Kadler used short and concise slogans such as "The Nation's Great Soft Drink". It must be remembered that in those days the dry law was introduced, so this slogan shot in the mass as well as possible.
Subsequently, the company has repeatedly resorted to slogans that embody the mood of the time and play on the feelings of people - "America's favorite moment", "Red, white and you", "Thirst knows no season."
Coca-Cola in original bottles(before that, it could only be bought on tap). In 1915, designer Earl Dean developed a unique bottle that could be distinguished by touch and recognized even when broken.
Free Cola. Kadler came up with an original trick - he sent several free lots of his product to distribution points. In exchange, he received the data of regular customers and sent them coupons for the purchase of a drink, and also for free. People came to pharmacies (then Coke, as you remember, was sold there), drank a free glass and bought Coke already with them. Today, this technique is called a "gift certificate".
Coca-Cola invented Santa. Surprisingly, yes, in 1931, Haddon Sundblom drew this painfully familiar Santa, and gave him a bottle of Coca-Cola in his hands. It cannot be said that Santa Claus did not exist before, just that no one knew what he looked like, and therefore they portrayed him as they like best. And the red color of the good-natured old man's coat was needed only in order to better emphasize the color of the brand.
Sponsorship. Another unique approach can be considered the idea of Coca-Cola to act as sponsors and raise not only the authority of their brand, but also receive huge free advertising.
So, Coca-Cola is the oldest sponsor of the Olympic Games. She has supported these competitions since 1928.
In addition, the Company supports the World Cup and is an official partner of FIFA. He also supports many humanitarian and social programs.
Learning to drink Cola from childhood. The Coca-Cola Company has opened the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, and admission for children is absolutely free. In such a simple way, a company from childhood wins the loyalty of its future customer.
It was these steps in the history of the development of Coca-Cola that made it the most popular and recognizable brand among carbonated drinks. And even though the company itself produces many other world brands of soft drinks, such as Fanta, Sprite, Nestea, Schweppes, Pulpy, BonAqua and many others, it is the Coca-Cola brand that brings it the main income and fame.
The Coca-Cola drink was invented in Atlanta (Georgia, USA) on May 8, 1886. It was invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton, a former officer
American Confederate Army. The name for the new drink was coined by Pemberton's accountant Frank Robinson, who, also proficient in calligraphy, wrote the words "Coca-Cola" in beautiful curly letters, which are still the drink's logo.
The main ingredients of Coca-Cola were as follows: three parts of coca leaves (from the same leaves the drug cocaine was obtained) to one part of the nuts of the tropical cola tree. The resulting drink was patented as a drug "for any nervous disorder" and began to be sold through a machine in Jacob's largest city pharmacy in Atlanta. Pemberton also claimed that Coca-Cola cures impotence, and that those who are addicted to morphine can switch to it (by the way, Pemberton himself was not indifferent to morphine). It should be noted here that cocaine was not a prohibited substance at that time and nothing was known about its harm to health (for example, in the story “The Sign of Four” by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes injects cocaine into himself in moments of inactivity, so painfully endured by him). Therefore, cocaine was freely sold, and it was often added to drinks instead of alcohol for pleasure and tone - Coca-Cola was not an innovation in this.
At first, an average of only 9 people bought the drink daily. Sales revenue for the first year was only $50. It is interesting that $70 was spent on the production of Coca-Cola, that is, in the first year the drink was unprofitable. But gradually the popularity of Coca-Cola increased, and the profits from its sale too. Pemberton sold the rights to the drink in 1888. And in 1892, businessman Asa Griggs Candler, who had the rights to Coca-Cola, founded The Coca-Cola Company, which has been producing Coca-Cola to this day.
In 1902, with a turnover of $120,000, Coca-Cola became the most famous drink in the United States. [The same year was marked by the appearance of the main competitor of The Pepsi-Cola Company - La belle era].
But in the late 1890s, public opinion turned against cocaine, and in 1903 a devastating article appeared in the New York Tribune, claiming that it was Coca-Cola that was to blame for the fact that Negroes from the urban slums who had drunk on it began to attack white people. After that, not fresh coca leaves were added to Coca-Cola, but already “squeezed out”, from which all cocaine was removed.
Since then, the popularity of the drink has grown exponentially. And fifty years after its invention, Coca-Cola has become something of a national icon for Americans. Since 1894, Coca-Cola has been sold in bottles, and since 1955 in cans.
Stages of a long journey:
1886 - the invention of the drink
1888 Sale of business to Irish immigrant Ace Candler, who starts an aggressive advertising campaign
1893 - trademark registration
1894 - bottling
1920 - first plant in Europe
1922 - Creation of a 6-pack
1928 - Coca-Cola at the Amsterdam Olympics
1960 - the advent of the tin can
1977 - the introduction of two-liter plastic bottles
Pemberton, John Stith (eng. John Stith Pemberton) (July 8, 1831 - August 16, 1888) - American pharmacist, inventor of Coca-Cola:
It is said that there is a recipe written by Pemberton's own hand. It is stored in a special safe, access to which only senior leaders have.
companies, and even they can only open the safe together. On the one hand, with the current scrutiny and strict requirements of various organizations for food and drink, it is strange that the recipe has not yet been disclosed.
Here is one of the options for deciphering the composition (based on the materials of the Vlast magazine):
First, the black elixir is compiled:
Then, 42 grams of black elixir, 113 grams of caffeine citrate, 56 grams of phosphoric acid, 28 grams of vanilla extract are taken per 10 liters of water. Now it remains to add sugar - as much as 13.5 kilograms.
Impressive, of course, is the amount of sugar, for one glass of drink it accounts for as many as 9 tablespoons. Just because of this, perhaps, it should have been hidden, because one can only imagine how useful this “miraculous remedy” is for our body.
We can say with confidence that neither coca nor cola has been there for a long time.
Interesting Facts
If all the Coca-Cola produced over a hundred years is bottled, laid out in one line and wrapped around the near-Earth orbit of our planet, then it will wrap the Earth 4334 times. By the way, such a chain to the moon would reach back and forth 1045 times.
If all the produced Coca-Cola were distributed in bottles to all the inhabitants of the planet, each of us would receive 767 bottles.
If all the produced Coca-Cola were to fill a pool 180 centimeters deep, then its length would be 33 kilometers, and the width would reach almost 15 kilometers. 512 million people can enter such a pool at the same time.
Every second, 8,000 glasses of drinks developed by the Company are drunk around the world.
The huge Coca-Cola sign, located above the World of Coca-Cola pavilion in Atlanta, consists of 1407 ordinary light bulbs and 1906 linear neon lamps. The sign is 9 meters high, 8 meters wide, and weighs 12.5 tons.
The largest sign of "Coca-Cola" is located in the Chilean city of Arica. It is set on top of a hill. The sign is 122 meters wide and 40 meters high. This sign is composed of 70 thousand bottles of Coca-Cola.
In 1989, Coca-Cola was the first foreign company to advertise its trademark on Pushkin Square in Moscow.
The two countries with the highest per capita consumption of Coca-Cola in the world have absolutely nothing in common. This is a huge continental subtropical Mexico and a tiny island subpolar Iceland.
The longest delivery route for Coca-Cola is in Australia. Truck drivers have to overcome the 1803-kilometer highway to deliver products from the city of Perth (South Australia) to the settlements of Karratha and Port Hedland.