The rounded white and red inscription "Coca-Cola" makes many of us swallow saliva. This carbonated soft drink is associated with celebration and prosperity, in the perception of many, it personifies the American dream itself. But, before becoming a symbol of a family celebration, the Coca-Cola brand has come a long way. And it all began at the end of the last century.
John Smith Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, once mixed Bordeaux and coca leaves to create cocaine wine. A similar drink at that time was successfully sold in Europe, and the American decided to bring something similar to the American market. But the dry law of 1885 spoiled his plans somewhat. As a result, the recipe was changed and, as it turned out, even without the alcohol component it turned out to be quite good (the cocaine component did not bother anyone at that time).
The updated drink consisted of three parts of coca leaves and one part of kola nuts, which is how it got its name. John Pemberton treated his best friend and accountant Frank Robinson to this syrup, who gave him invaluable advice to write down the recipe, patent the drink and start mass sales. The benevolent accountant even personally designed the drink's logo. Excellent in calligraphy, he hand-drawn the inscription - "The Coca-Cola".
John Pemberton heeded the advice of a friend and took his creation to the Jacobs pharmacy, where it began to be sold - at 5 cents a glass. Coca-Cola was then positioned as a cure for any nervous disorders, gastritis and impotence. It was sold, however, the drink was not very active at first. The income from it for the first year was only $ 50, which did not even cover the cost of manufacturing.
But Coca-Cola still survived the hard times. Over time, the syrup became carbonated and changed its composition, which now includes extracts of lime, orange and nutmeg, as well as vanillin and caffeine. However, this recipe did not bring wealth to its creator - on August 16, 1888, John Pemberton died in poverty.
A couple of years later, a poor businessman from Ireland, Asa Candler, comes to Atlanta. With a sincere belief in his success in the New World, he purchases a Coca-Cola recipe from Pemberton's widow for a lot of money at that time - $ 2,300. In 1892, Aza registered the company and trademark. It is noteworthy that the same Frank Robinson helped him in this matter.
Kendler's entrepreneurial talent played a role - the drink became more and more popular day by day. And the Irishman should be given credit, because he worked hard - distributed goods with company attributes, installed free syrup dispensers in stores and pharmacies, sent out coupons for the purchase of a drink and more. As a result, factories for the production of Coca-Cola began to open one after another throughout the country. At first, the drink was sold only on tap, but in 1899 a factory was opened for the production of Coca-Cola in bottles. The production was owned by entrepreneurs Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead and was based on a franchise system. In 1906, the bottled drink was already being exported to countries such as Cuba and Panama.
In 1919, Aza Candler decides to sell the Coca-Cola company to the banker and big businessman Ernest Woodruff, who puts his son Robert in charge of it. The price of the deal is already $25 million. Robert Woodruff not only willingly led the company, but also lingered as president for more than 60 years. It was thanks to him that Coca-Cola gained the popularity that it enjoys today.
The first innovation of Robert Woodruff as president was the approval of uniform standards not only for the creation and bottling of the drink, but also for arranging Coca-Cola bottles on store shelves.
The 33-year-old head of the company also understands that the time has finally come to introduce the drink to the world, and therefore creates the Coca-Cola Export Corporation, whose goal is to promote Coca-Cola in other countries. In 1928, during the Olympics in the Netherlands, American athletes brought about 1,000 bottles of the drink with them to Amsterdam. So Coca-Cola became associated with sports. To maintain this image, the company then often sponsored various sporting events. Around the same time, the brand began to be advertised on the radio.
Today, without Coca-Cola, it is difficult to imagine the Christmas and New Year holidays. For the first time, Santa Claus appeared in the brand's advertising in 1931. The advertisement was created by artist Haddon Sundblom, who painted himself as a good-natured grandfather. It is noteworthy that before this, Santa Claus was depicted in a variety of colors and styles of outfits. And only Haddon Sundblom dressed this hero of Christmas stories for the first time in a red and white suit, using the main colors of the Coca-Cola brand.
In the late 30s, the popular drink was already sold in 44 countries around the world. When World War II broke out, Robert Woodruff announced that every man in uniform could buy Coca-Cola for as little as 5 cents. The drink was regularly sent to the American military, wherever they fought. By the way, especially for the soldiers, Coca-Cola was released in cans - for maximum convenience.
The company also worked on expanding its range. The end of the 50s was marked by the appearance of such a drink as Fanta, and three years later Sprite was released. In 1979, Roberto Gozueta became the head of the company and led it to new heights. So, in the early 80s, Diet Coke was created. And in 1985, Coca-Cola even went into space.
Telling the story of this famous brand, one cannot fail to mention the ongoing war of Coca-Cola with the brand Pepsi. Founded in 1902, the latter has chosen the phrase "The new generation chooses Pepsi" as its slogan. Thus, the target audience was American youth, who, in defiance of their parents preferring Coca-Cola, opted for a competing drink. And although Pepsi's calculations turned out to be correct to some extent, it never managed to compare in popularity with a well-known brand either then or later.
To date, Coca-Cola produces more than 200 types of various drinks, including Bonaqua mineral water, Nestea iced tea, bitter Schweppes and more. But 80 percent of sales still go to Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite. Today the company is also working on the creation of Minute Maid juices, which are intended specifically for fans of a healthy lifestyle. But whether it will be equal in popularity to the well-known trio - only time will tell.
Created over 120 years ago, Coca-Cola continues to be the most recognizable brand in the world. Its products are sold in more than 200 different countries. More than 1 billion bottles of this drink are sold around the world every day. And this gives every reason to assume that it doesn’t matter what happens around, because a well-known company will continue to have Coca-Cola.
