This drink brand is recognized worldwide, but perhaps the history of Coca Cola behind its brand is not so well known.
From its humble beginnings as a syrup to relieve headaches and tiredness in 1886, this American fizzy drink has evolved into a global icon of popular culture and, thanks to its marketing campaigns, a byword for the happiness.
The birth of the history of Coca Cola as a healing drink
The history of Coca Cola dates back to 1886, when the American doctor and pharmacist John S Pemberton invented a syrup to relieve headaches and fatigue in Atlanta, Georgia.
By mixing this syrup with soda water, Pemberton created a refreshing drink that he called Coca Cola..
However, Pemberton still had no idea that his invention would become the world’s most popular soft drink and one of the world’s most profitable businesses.
The creation of the Coca Cola name and design
Interestingly (although it seems lies), it was Pemberton’s accountant, Frank M Robinsonwho gave the drink the catchy name of Coca Cola.
And the person who designed the wide letters that have remained largely unchanged to this day. These letters form the basis of the iconic Coca Cola design we know today.
The early years of Coca Cola’s history
Coca Cola’s beginnings date back to when Pemberton sold his delicious patented medicine for five cents a glass at the drugstore. Jacob’s Pharmacy. However, during the first year he only managed to sell an average of nine glasses of the drink a day.
It was Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinsonwho saw the great potential of the drink and convinced the pharmacist to go ahead with the idea and grow the business.
It wasn’t until 1888, when thoroughbred apothecary and businessman, Asa G. Candlerrecognized the great potential of the drink and acquired the rights to Coca Cola for only $2,300 at the time.
His dream? Candler was pursuing an ambitious goal, he wanted to make Coca Cola the national drink of the United States.
To achieve this, he constantly relied on advertising and sales promotion. It was thus that in 1892, Candler founded The Coca Cola Company in Atlanta and, the following year, registered Coca Cola as a trademark with the United States Patent Office.
Later in 1894, the drink was bottled for the first time, a crucial step for the distribution of the product.
The business was booming under Candler’s leadership, and just three years after founding the company, the businessman proudly announced a milestone in the history of Coca.Cola: The drink was already consumed in every US state.
The global expansion of Coca Cola
The 1920s were an important moment in the history of Coca Cola due to its great expansion, both nationally and internationally.
By the year 1923, more than a million glasses of Coca Cola were being sold a day in the United States, and the drink had become a staple of American culture.
But the company had even bigger ambitions and wanted to take its product to the whole world.
The first important step in the international expansion that would mark the history of Coca Cola occurred in 1926, when a bottling plant was opened in Mexico.
This marked the beginning of the company’s expansion into Latin America, which would become a key market for the drink in the following decades.
After this important achievement, in 1928 Coca Cola arrived in Europe with the opening of a bottling plant in France. The expansion in Europe continued with the opening of plants in other countries such as Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom in the following years.
As a curious fact in the business history of Coca Cola, its international expansion was led by Robert W. Woodruffwho became president of the company in 1923.
Woodruff had a clear vision of how to make the Coca Cola story great and take it to the world. He was convinced that the company could become a global brand.
It was under his leadership that the first bottling plants were opened in Mexico and France, and that the franchise system was established that allowed the company to rapidly expand its presence throughout the world.
recommended books
World War II and the rise of Fanta
World War II had a great impact on the history of Coca Cola and its international expansion.
Many of the company’s bottling plants in Europe were destroyed during the war, and supplies of key ingredients such as sugar became scarce.
In response to this shortage of ingredients, Coca-Cola executives in Germany found a great business opportunity in the development of a new whey-based beverage called Fanta.
The drink quickly caught on and became a staple in the German diet during the war.
After the war, Coca Cola returned to Europe and rebuilt its bottling plants. But Fanta also continued to be a popular product around the world and became a proprietary brand of Coca Cola.
Today, Fanta is one of the best-known soft drinks in the world and is sold in more than 190 countries.
Curious facts about Coca Cola that you surely did not know
The history of Coca Cola has undoubtedly made it the global icon of popular culture that it is today.
Since its invention in 1886, the soft drink has managed to spread throughout the world and has become one of the most recognized brands globally.
However, although there are many big fans of Coca Cola, there are still some interesting facts about this drink that you may not know.
The secret formula of Coca Cola is not so secret
Coca Cola has always been very jealous of its secret formula. It has even been said that it is stored in a high-security vault in Atlanta.
But the reality is that a few years ago, the program This American Life published what was believed to be the secret recipe for Coca Cola.
Found in a 130-year-old notebook belonging to the inventor’s best friend, this recipe is made up of 15 ingredients, including cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg oil.
Although Coca Cola has not confirmed that this is his recipe, he has not denied this information either.
In the history of Coca Cola, the original recipe contained cocaine
The inventor of Coca Cola, john pembertoncreated this drink in 1886. The intention was to market it as a tonic to relieve headaches and fatigue.
Back then, Coca Cola contained cocaine, albeit in small amounts (only 9 milligrams per 100 ml). But this was removed from the formula in 1903.
Pemberton’s inspiration for the drink was a concoction popular at the time called Vin Marianiinvented in France, which was a mixture of Bordeaux red wine and cocaine.
Coca Cola was the first Olympic sponsor
Coca Cola is a brand that has always known how to take advantage of any advertising opportunity.
That is why in 1928, at the Summer Olympic Games organized in Amsterdam, Coca Cola became the first Olympic sponsor in history.
Since then and throughout Coca Cola’s history, it has been present at every major sporting event, and has become one of the brands most associated with sports.
Coca Cola tried to replace coffee
In the 1980s, Coca Cola tried to convince people that it was a good alternative to coffee to get you up and running.
He even launched an aggressive ad campaign suggesting that people were substituting their morning coffees for a fresh, bubbly dose of caffeine.
However, the campaign was unsuccessful, as it failed to persuade people to give up coffee and drink a Coca Cola as soon as they get up as a morning habit.
Coca Cola was the first drink to be consumed in space
The 1980s were an exciting time for the Coca Cola brand, as it became the first beverage to be consumed in space.
On the Challenger space shuttle, astronauts drank Coca Cola from special cans created especially for the occasion.
This fact made the brand a true symbol of popular culture and a symbol of the conquest of space.
Conclusions on the history of Coca Cola
The history of Coca Cola demonstrates how the drink has managed to become an icon of popular culture on a global level.
And it is that from its secret formula to its presence in sporting events, or the conquest of space, the history of Coca Cola continues to be a brand that never ceases to amaze us.
Continue reading: 12 Stories of successful companies that will motivate you to undertake
