30 Mind-Blowing Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola, one of the most recognizable brand in the world for over a century, being sold in more than 200 countries. Even with all the dozens of false rumors about it doing rounds, over 10,000 soft drinks from Coca-Cola are reportedly consumed every second of every day. Here are some very interesting facts about the America’s iconic The Coca-Cola Company:

1. The Coca-Cola Company is the producer of carbonated soft drink which was introduced by JohnStith Pemberton, on May 08, 1886, about 131 years ago.
2. The name of the company is derived from its original ingredients, which were coca leaves and kola nuts.
3. Pemberton had set out to find an alternate drug for morphine to which he was addicted and ended up formulating Coca-Cola recipe at his Eagle Drug and Chemical House in Columbus, Georgia. He marketed it as coca-wine.
4. The Coca-Cola was initially patented in 1885, as ‘French Wine Coca’ a nerve tonic. The wine is a combination of French Wine and a unique drug made by mixing cocaine and alcohol, Cocaethylene.
5. The Coca-Cola was first sold for five cents in soda fountains for many believed carbonated water is good for health.
6. In 1986, due to the prohibition law, the Coca-Cola developed as nonalcoholic version of wine and marketed mostly to upper class intellectuals, claiming it to cure many diseases such as indigestion, nerve disorder, headaches, morphine addiction and impotence.
7. On March 24, 1988, the formal filing of the Coca-Cola Company in the Fulton County Superior Court took place, with Charley Pemberton, Woolfork Walker, Margaret Dozier and AsaGriggChandler as the original shareholder of the company.
8. On April 14, 1988, the young druggist Asa Griggs Chandler purchased one-third interest in the formula of an unknown proprietary elixir known as Coca-Cola for $ 50 down and $ 500 in 30 days. On April 17 in the same year, he also acquired one half of the Walker and Dozier shares for $750.
9. Although Candler was a shareholder he was forced to sell his beverages with the recipe he had under the name of ‘Yum Yum’ and ‘Koke,’ while Charley Pemberton continued selling the elixir under the name ‘Coca-Cola’
10. Following the death of John Stith Pemberton on August 16, 1888 and on negotiated with Margaret Dozier and Woodfolk Walker for a full payment amounting to $ 1,000, Candler claimed full ownership of the Coca-Cola beverage by May 1889.
11. On September 12, 1919, a group of investors led by Trust Company of George president Ernest Woodruff purchased the Coca-Cola Co. for $ 25 million. The new Coca-Cola Co. was reorganized and reincorporated in the state of Delaware with its headquarters in Atlanta. The company offered 500,000 shares to the public for $ 40 a share.
12. Apart from its other ingredients, carbonated water, sugar, caffeine, phosphoric acid and caramel color, it contains natural flavorings, which is trade secret. The secret formula is kept in ‘Sun Trust Bank’s’ main vault for 86 years before moving it new vault on December 08, 2011.
13. The first bottling of Coca-Cola started in 1891, at the Biedenham Candy Company, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
14. The shape of the bottles underwent changes from its inception. The familiar hobble-skirt design called the ‘Contour bottle’ within the company was created by bottle designer Earl R. Dean in 1915, wasstandardized.
15. In 1899, Candler signed a contract selling the bottling rights with Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead for $ 1.00. They opened the world’s first Coca-Cola bottling Company.
16. The contract was loosely formulated which proved problematic for sub-contracting and the price fixed at five cents, had no fixed durations. Hence the price of Coca-Cola remained same from 1886 to 1959.
17. The company follows a franchise model where by Coca-Cola only produce a syrup concentrate and sell it to bottlers who hold franchise. The bottlers mix the syrup with filtered water and sweeteners before carbonating it into the cans and bottles.
18. In 1935 the soft drink was certified ‘Kosher,’ a Jewish religious dietary laws, by the Atlanta Rabbi Tobias Geffen, after the company made some changes in the sourcing of some ingredients.
19. On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola tried changing the formula of the drink with ‘New Coke’ to counter Pepsi, but was unprepared for the public’s backlash. The company returned to old formula of, under the name Coca-Cola Classic in July.Later in 2011 it was removed to rejuvenate the product image.
20. The idea of canning Coca-Cola began on the 1930s with creation cone shape can but was used only as samples. In 1955 the first actual production of can Coca-Cola began for export to American Troup’s overseas.
21. In July 2005, Coca-Cola returned to Iraq, after a 37 years exile due to boycott by Arab League. Although the boycott ended in 1991,but sanction and war kept it out of Iraq.
22. In June 2012, the company made its presence in Myanmar after a gap of 60 years, as the country moved towards democratic reforms. The Investment sanction by US was in force after the country came under military rule.
23. The company introduced 7.5–ounce mini-can in 2009, in addition to its 12.5-ounce and 16-ounce bottles.
24. In August 2014, Coca-Cola acquired 16.7 percent stake in Monster Beverage Corporation $ 2.15 billion in cash for long term strategic partnership.
25. On May 05, 2014, Coca-Cola announced that the company is working to remove the controversial ingredient brominated vegetable oil, from all of its drinks following an online petition at Change.org with 200,000 signatories. However as of July 2017, it is still to be implemented.
26. The company has introduced around 13 variants of Coca-Cola soft drinks in over 200 countries around the world catering to its regional demands. This amounts to consuming more than 1.8 billion serving each day.
27. Coca-Cola’s advertising strategy is pervasive to ensure that everyone on Earth drank it as their preferred beverage. The company had purchased Columbia Pictures to insert its product images in the films.
28. Coca-Cola was the first commercial sponsors of the Olympic Games at the 1928 and ever since. The company has long history of sports marketing relationship from FIFA World Cup to Major League Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Golf and Cricket.
29. The success story of Coca-Cola is not complete without its criticism. In the developed world it is perceived Coca-Cola which is rich in sugar especially sucrose will cause dental caries when consumed regularly and high calories contribute to obesity, which is a health issue.
30. Coca-Cola is listed as partner of Red campaign with other brands, to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child. The campaign byline is ‘Fighting For An AIDS Free Generation.’