The birth of Coca-Cola
The origin
The world’s most famous drink was born in Atlanta on May 8, 1886. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist, “invented” a syrup made from coca leaves and kola nuts, which he sold in Jacob’s Pharmacy, where soda water was added and the glass sold for 5cents in a soda fountain. This drink was already described as “delicious and refreshing”, a theme still associated with Coca-Cola.
A friend and associate of Dr. Pemberton, Franck Robinson, proposed the name and caligraphy of Coca-Cola. Advertising was limited to a few handwritten signs and an article in the local paper, The Atlanta Journal. An average of nine glasses a day were sold in the first year.
Dr. Pemberton never realized the full potential of his invention. He gradually sold shares in his company to various partners. He sold the remainder in 1888, shortly before his death, to Asa G. Candler. Asa G. Candler, on the other hand, had a keen business sense, and gradually bought up the remaining shares to take full control of Coca-Cola.
Asa CANDLER : Coca-Cola takes off
Asa Candler quickly understood the power of advertising and the potential of his drink. A full-page ad in The Atlanta Journal, he abandoned his pharmaceutical business and refocused on soft drinks. He founded the Coca-Cola Company in 1892 with his brother John, Frank Robinson and two other partners. The Coca-Cola trademark was registered on January 31, 1893, and the first dividends were paid…
A forerunner, Candler multiplied advertising efforts, vouchers and derivative products. Sales increased, and in 1894 the first factory to manufacture the basic syrup was opened outside Atlanta, in Dallas, followed by Chicago and Los Angeles the following year. A new building entirely dedicated to syrup production and business development.
While Candler concentrated on distributing his drink from soda fountains, another concept was born in Mississippi that would enable Coca-Cola to take on a global dimension.
In 1894, Joseph A. Biedenharn, faced with the demand for soda fountains, set up a bottling plant in his back store and began selling bottles of Coca-Cola to local farmers. By 1899, Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead had industrialized the distribution of Coca-Cola and developed what became the world’s first bottling system.
The Contour bottle
From 1915 onwards, Coca-Cola had to contend with competition and imitations. To combat this, the company sent out a call for tenders to a number of bottle manufacturers. The Root Glass Company of Terre Haute proposed a bottle that could be instantly recognized as a Coca-Cola bottle, even by the blind. The contour bottle was patented and distributed in 1916.
