The story of Coca-Cola - the company that took over the world. Coca-Cola is a product of the Belle Epoque. The history of Coca-Cola, its recipe and interesting facts The year the Coca-Cola company was founded

The Coca-Cola drink was invented in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on May 8, 1886. It was invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton, a former army officer
American Confederate Army. The name for the new drink was invented by Pemberton's accountant Frank Robinson, who, also skilled in calligraphy, wrote the words “Coca-Cola” in beautiful curly letters, which are still the logo of the drink.

The main ingredients of Coca-Cola were as follows: three parts coca leaves (from the same leaves the drug cocaine was obtained) to one part tropical cola tree nuts. The resulting drink was patented as a medicine “for any nervous disorders” and began to be sold through a vending machine in the largest city pharmacy, Jacob's in Atlanta. Pemberton also claimed that Coca-Cola healed impotence, and that those who were addicted to morphine could switch to it (by the way, Pemberton himself was partial 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 himself with cocaine in moments of inactivity that he endures so painfully). Therefore, cocaine was freely sold, and it was often added for pleasure and tone to drinks instead of alcohol - Coca-Cola was not an innovation in this.


At first, an average of only 9 people bought the drink every day. Sales revenue during the first year was only $50. Interestingly, $70 was spent on the production of Coca-Cola, which means that the drink was unprofitable in the first year. But gradually the popularity of Coca-Cola increased, and so did the profits from its sales. In 1888, Pemberton sold the rights to produce the drink. And in 1892, businessman Asa Griggs Candler, who owned the rights to Coca-Cola, founded The Coca-Cola Company, which continues to produce Coca-Cola today.

In 1902, with a turnover of $120 thousand, Coca-Cola became the most famous drink in the United States. [The same year was marked by the emergence of the main competitor of The Pepsi-Cola Company - La belle epoque].

But in the late 1890s, public opinion turned against cocaine, and in 1903 a devastating article appeared in the New York Tribune, claiming that Coca-Cola was to blame for the fact that blacks from the city slums who had drunk on it began to attack white people. After this, they began to add not fresh coca leaves to Coca-Cola, but already “squeezed” ones, from which all the cocaine was removed.

Since then, the popularity of the drink has grown exponentially. And just 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 the long journey:

1886 - invention of the drink
1888 - sale of the business to Irish emigrant Ace Candler, who begins an aggressive advertising campaign
1893 - trademark registration
1894 - bottling
1920 - first plant in Europe
1922 - creation of a 6-bottle pack
1928 - Coca-Cola at the Olympics in Amsterdam
1960 - appearance of the tin can
1977 - appearance of two-liter plastic bottles

Pemberton, John Stith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 - August 16, 1888) - American pharmacist, inventor of Coca-Cola:

It is said that there is a recipe written in Pemberton's own hand. It is stored in a special safe, to which only senior managers have access
companies, and even they can only open the safe together. On the one hand, given the current close attention and strict requirements of various organizations for food and drink, it is strange that the recipe has not yet been revealed.

Here is one of the options for deciphering the composition (based on materials from the magazine “Vlast”):

First, the black elixir is prepared:

  • 80 drops orange essential oil
  • 40 drops cinnamon essential oil
  • 120 drops lemon essential oil
  • 20 drops coriander essential oil
  • 40 drops nutmeg oil
  • 40 drops neroli oil
  • Lime essential oil - to taste

Then for 10 liters of water take 42 grams of black elixir, 113 grams of caffeine citrate, 56 grams of phosphoric acid, 28 grams of vanilla extract. Now all that remains is to add sugar - as much as 13.5 kilograms.

The amount of sugar is impressive, of course; there are as many as 9 spoons per glass of drink. It is precisely because of this that perhaps it should have been hidden, because one can only imagine how useful this “miracle remedy” is for our body.

We can say with confidence that neither Coca nor Cola have been there for a long time.

Interesting Facts

If all the Coca-Cola produced over more than a hundred years is poured into bottles, laid out in one line and wrapped around the near-Earth orbit of our planet, then it will wrap around the Earth 4334 times. By the way, such a chain would reach the Moon back and forth 1045 times.

If all the Coca-Cola produced were distributed in bottles to everyone on the planet, each of us would receive 767 bottles.

If all the Coca-Cola produced were to fill a pool 180 centimeters deep, its length would be 33 kilometers and its width would reach almost 15 kilometers. Such a pool can simultaneously accommodate 512 million people.

Every second, 8,000 glasses of drinks produced 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 1,407 regular light bulbs and 1,906 linear neon bulbs. The height of the sign is 9 meters, width - 8, weight - 12.5 tons.

The largest Coca-Cola sign is located in the Chilean city of Arica. It is installed on the top of a hill. The width of the sign is 122 meters, the height is 40 meters. This sign is made from 70 thousand Coca-Cola bottles.

In 1989, Coca-Cola was the first foreign company to advertise its brand on Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow.

The two countries that have the highest percentage of Coca-Cola consumption per capita in the world have absolutely nothing in common. These are the huge continental subtropical Mexico and the tiny island subpolar Iceland.

The longest delivery route for Coca-Cola is in Australia. Truck drivers travel 1,803 kilometers to deliver products from Perth, South Australia, to Karratha and Port Hedland.


Books on the topic
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Today everyone knows about this company, as well as its competitor -. Its logo has long become recognizable, and its famous drink has become legendary. The history of the development of the company, which is already more than a hundred years old, is constantly discussed by businessmen and marketers.

The very first composition of Coca-Cola was invented by a pharmacist in Atlanta. In 1886, when America tried to zealously fight drunkenness, it got to the point that pharmacists were forced to replace alcohol in tinctures with other components.

Atlanta pharmacist John Stith Pemberton produced the so-called French wine coca. It was positioned as an ideal drink that stimulates brain function. Instead of alcohol, Pemberton used the equally tonic kola nut. Then it was brought to America by African slaves. The nuts were real energy drinks. They stimulated the work of not only the heart, but also the muscular system. A kind of energy drink became one of the ingredients of the then wine coca. Slaves said that kola nut was a great hangover reliever. This was indeed the case. Pemberton mixed kola nut extract with a cocaine-based drink. Two of the strongest stimulants became the main ingredients of the resulting potion.

But its taste was not the best. Pemberton experimented a lot, mixing and adding herbal extracts, but his coca was perceived more as a medicine.

The wine mixture was a disgusting drug that was a sweet and thick syrup.

Everything changed by chance and rumor.

Brief history of development

John Stith Pemberton began supplying his miracle drink to pharmacies. It was sold in bottles, which were more like containers for medicine, or on tap. It was impossible to drink the thick drink, so it was diluted with ordinary running water. The resulting potion was truly invigorating. It was called lemonade, and for those who found a way to get drunk, it was called a wonderful hangover drink.

It’s a paradox, but it was the story of a man who had not yet succumbed to the then raging hysteria of sobriety that changed the taste of the drink forever and made it even more popular. A buyer from one of the pharmacies asked a friend to dilute Coca-Cola syrup for him. Tom was too lazy to go to the tap, so he added soda to the drink. Fizzy Coca-Cola created a sensation. The rumor that it turns out much tastier this way spread throughout Atlanta with incredible speed.

And after Prohibition came into force, Coca-Cola sales skyrocketed.
Pemberton was assisted by entrepreneur and businessman Frank Robinson. He came up with the first logo for, which is used to this day. Robinson has dedicated his entire life to developing the brand.

But let's go back to 1887. Things seemed to be looking up and Robinson and Pemberton's business was booming. But the pharmacist's health was deteriorating. He deservedly sold his share of the business to the same Willis Venable, who came up with the idea of ​​diluting the drink with soda. Pemberton felt that he did not have much time left and hastened to pass on the recipe for the drink, which was kept secret.

Coca-Cola 1887 contained: caffeine, lemon oil, lime and nutmeg oil, vanillin, coca leaves, orange elixir, citrus acid, orange blossom oil.

The second father of Coca-Cola was Asa Candler. A poor immigrant came to America in search of a happy life and faith in his talent as an entrepreneur. He bought the secret set of Coca-Cola ingredients from Pemberton's then-widowed wife and, together with his companions, founded The Coca-Cola Company in Georgia. On January 31, 1893, Candler registered the Coca-Cola trademark.

I had to be patient before the drink began to make any profit. It happened that no more than nine people bought Coke per day, and during the first 12 months the revenue was no more than $50.

Over time the situation improved. The year 1902 was a turning point in the history of the legendary brand, and Coca-Cola turned out to be the most popular drink in the United States. The new recipe used coca leaves - those from which cocaine was extracted. They are still supplied to the production of the drink by the only legal factory that processes medical cocaine in the United States.

In 1915, Coca-Cola had a new container - 6.5 oz bottle. In 1919, the company was headed by new owner Ernest Woodruff. He would later be replaced by his son Robert, who devoted the next 60 years of his life to the development of the company.

“Coca-Cola” is more than the name of an invigorating and tonic drink. In 1933, the company began installing machines that made it easy to buy a bottle of Coke. Then six-packs of bottles appeared in stores, and eventually, remote refrigerators.

Since 1931, American children have been offered a new and soon-to-be-loved image of Santa Claus in red and white. It was drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom. Before this, Santa could be dressed in different colors. The artist had to rack his brains to paint a portrait of Santa. There are several versions about this. According to one of them, Sundblom drew himself, and according to the other, his friend Lou Pentis. A real good-natured guy with wrinkles around his eyes, the kids immediately fell in love with him. He has become the personification of the good Santa whom everyone is waiting for during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Company today

Today, more than one billion bottles of Coca-Cola are sold per year. Products are presented in two hundred countries around the world. The company's enterprises employ more than 150 thousand employees. The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world's largest producers and suppliers of syrups, concentrates and soft drinks.

Manufactured products

In Russia, in addition to the popular Coca-Cola, famous products are also:

  • Soft drinks: Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite.
  • Fruit juices and purees: Rich Fruit Mix, Dobry, Rich.
  • Carbonated drinks: Pinocchio, Cream Soda, Lemonade, Duchess.
  • Schweppes carbonated drink series.
  • Water: Bon Aqua Viva, Bon Aqua.
  • Isotonic sports drink: Powerade.
  • Iced tea: Nestea.
  • Energy drinks: Burn, Gladiator.

List of CEOs

Today, the CEO of The Coca-Cola Company is a businessman with American and Turkish roots, Mukhtar Kent. He was appointed to this post in 2008. Previously the company was led by:

    I have my own cafe in the university building, and every day I am surprised at how much students drink soda. At every break there are queues to buy a bottle. Naturally, the main profit comes from the sale of soda, which we buy by the case. And I, in fact, feel so sorry for them, it’s necessary to ruin your stomach at such an early age (((

In the modern civilized world, it is difficult to find a person who has not drunk at least one bottle of Coca-Cola.

When everyone mentions this brand (from the American president to the average homeless person, from a first-grader to a doctor of science), they immediately associate it with its logo: rounded white letters on a red background.

This simple logo has actually become a symbol of America.

History of the drink

Coca-Cola is a mega-popular non-alcoholic soft carbonated drink, distributed throughout the world (in more than two hundred countries) and produced by almost the same company “The Coca-Cola Company”, which also owns the brands “Coca-Cola light”, “Bonaqua”, "Sprite", "Fanta" etc.

Its creator is John Pemberton, who initially developed the formula for an alcoholic drink called “French Coca Wine,” which included a mixture of extracts of damiana, coca and kola nut leaves.

This “potion” had a calming effect and helped relieve sometimes very annoying headaches.

There is also a version according to which the drink was created by John as a painkiller and was intended to numb the pain of wounded Confederate soldiers.

A non-alcoholic version was released in 1885 after Prohibition was passed in Atlanta. The main ingredients were coca leaves (the drug cocaine is also extracted from them) and cola nuts (one of the tropical trees) in a 3:1 ratio.

It should be noted that at that time the dangers of cocaine were not yet known, and it was not a prohibited substance, it was freely available and was often added to drinks instead of alcohol, so to speak, for tone. Coca-Cola was not an innovation in this direction.

Pemberton had a morphine addiction, acquired from using the substance in large quantities as a painkiller. The inventor drank Coca-wine to combat his addiction.

The original composition of Coca-Cola included 8.46 mg of cocaine, despite the fact that the average dose of the drug used by addicts is 15-35 mg. It was possible to enhance such a small dose of cocaine, which was part of the drink, thanks to the presence of caffeine contained in cola nuts.

Considering the above fact, Coca-Cola was initially announced as one of the medicines aimed at combating opium and morphine addiction. In addition, Pemberton claimed that his invention could cure impotence.

The drink was patented as a medicine intended to treat “any nervous disorder.”

It was sold through a vending machine, which was located in the building of one of the largest city pharmacies in Atlanta.

The drink became “fizzy” at the end of 1886. History links the same year with the adoption of Prohibition in Atlanta and the automatic increase in demand for Pemberton's drink.

Do you know how to shop in ? Unfortunately, it is not available in Russian, but our article will help you easily understand the interface and order products directly from America without intermediaries.

Read all about Huggis diapers, the official website, the history of the company and the features of its products.

history of the company

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable and successful brands, which is valued by experts at a truly fabulous amount of almost 80 billion dollars.

The Coca-Cola Company has a history of more than 120 years. Founded in 1892 by Mr. Candler, a native of the town of Villa Rica (Georgia), who bought the formula for the signature drink from its inventor, John Pemberton.

The inventory, which the latter compiled before selling the business, reveals the secret of the Coca-Cola recipe:

  • lime oil;
  • nutmeg oil;
  • lemon oil;
  • neroli oil;
  • coca leaf extract;
  • nutmeg extract;
  • orange elixir;
  • caffeine;
  • vanillin;
  • citrus acid.

In the late 1890s, after the negative effects of cocaine on the body were discovered, “squeezed” coca leaves, which no longer contained cocaine, were added to the drink instead of fresh coca leaves.

That is, by the time Asa Kandel bought the formula, founded the company and registered the trademark, opened the first Coca-Cola plant, it no longer contained cocaine.

The name of the drink and subsequently the brand was invented by Frank Robinson. He also had a hand in creating the company’s corporate logo, and in the literal sense of the word: possessing calligraphic handwriting, he drew curly letters, which later formed the basis of the logo.

All integral elements of the company's corporate identity, along with the red color, on which beautiful curly letters are inscribed, are registered by the US Planetary Bureau as a trademark.

This means that any encroachment on the use of one of these elements by competitors is illegal and will be immediately stopped by the owner of the trademark, which is what the company actually does, and with enviable regularity.

A significant increase in the popularity of the brand is associated with the appearance of the original “waisted” bottle in 1916. Its shape was unmistakably recognized by consumers among hundreds of other representatives of bottled products, which contributed to increasing brand recognition and increasing the effectiveness of advertising campaigns conducted by the manufacturer.

The bottle is solemnly “handed over” to Santa Claus, who has become a frequent guest in the Christmas advertising of this “fizzy drink”.

A New Year's-style bottle of the drink beloved by millions and Santa Claus created such a harmonious image that many Americans firmly believe that the image of Santa was invented by the above brand.

This is due to the fact that the company actually had a hand in creating today's image of Santa, commissioning the design of his red and white suit from artist Haddon Sundlbom in 1931.

Before this, the “good Santa Claus of American origin” walked around in anything, putting on mismatched clothes, which did not look entirely flattering.

Watch a video about the brand:

What is Coca-Cola made from today?

We already know that the original formula of the drink included cocaine, but the recipe has been subject to changes and improvements over time and, naturally, no longer contains any drugs.

The detailed formula, taking into account all the components, is kept in the strictest confidence and is a trade secret.

Of course, the manufacturer is obliged to notify consumers about the ingredients included in the composition, indicating them on the label, but only part of them is indicated on the bottle or can.

The original formula, which is used in production today, is stored in the main vault of the Sum Trust bank in a special safe, access to which is open only to the top management of the company.

Considering the close attention to food and drink, the stringent requirements placed on them, it is even surprising that the recipe for Cola has not yet been revealed. Below is one of the existing options for deciphering the composition.

Essential oils are used to prepare the black elixir:

  • orange – 80 drops;
  • lemon – 120 drops;
  • coriander – 20 drops;
  • cinnamon – 40 drops;
  • lime - to taste.

In addition to the above essential oils, 40 drops of nutmeg and neroli oil are added to the black elixir.

  • black elixir – 42 g;
  • caffeine citrate – 113 g;
  • orthophosphoric acid – 56 g;
  • vanilla extract – 28 g;
  • sugar – 13.5 kg;
  • water – 10 l.

It seems that none of the presented ingredients should cause confusion among consumers (all natural, no chemical additives), but just think: 13.5 kg of sugar per 10 liters of water!

Have you ever sweetened a glass of tea with nine spoons of sugar? Do you still have doubts that Coca-Cola is harmful?

Even though there have been no coca leaves or cola nuts in the composition for a long time, there is no talk about the usefulness of the drink, although it was initially positioned as a medicinal product and was sold in pharmacies.

Today, some even manage to cook Coca-Cola soup with the addition of chips, nuts and crackers. The step-by-step recipe for preparing this extravagant dish can be found in the video:

Certainly, This is a joke recipe, don't try it! The consequences can be unpredictable, especially for people who have a weak stomach. Better not experiment.

In general, it’s surprising that only a baby doesn’t know about the dangers of the drink, or at least the lack of benefits from drinking it, but at the same time the company continues to flourish and has long been one of the most expensive brands in the world.

TM, trying to keep up with its competitors who produce products that do not contain either sugar or caffeine, began to produce products without these components: New Coke, Classic Coke, Cherry Coke, Caffeine-Free New Coke, Tab, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke , Caffeine-Free Tab, Coca-Cola Light and others.

However, excessive consumption of them will not lead to anything good, just like excessive consumption of any lemonade.

Today there is a lot of talk about the dangers of Coca-Cola products, but similar products from other brands are no healthier.

As experienced nutritionists say, you can do everything, but a little bit. If you drink a glass of sweet carbonated drink once a year on holiday, nothing bad will happen.

The situation is completely different with daily consumption in uncontrolled quantities. But you also shouldn’t eat a lot of fatty, fried and sweet foods, drink a lot of alcohol, etc.

There are many variations of the brand’s official website: a number of countries have developed their own resource with a unique domain name, usually corresponding to the domain zone of a particular state.

For example, the website http://www.coca-cola.ru/ was developed for the Russian-speaking audience, and http://www.coca-cola.ua/ for the Ukrainian-speaking audience.

There are also resources in Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, German, Polish, Turkish and other languages, but all of them are uninformative and contain limited data. Their main purpose is to inform consumers about what promotions are in effect during a specific period of time.

In particular, bears, Coca-Cola bears, which could be obtained by participating in a promotion specially proclaimed by the company for the Sochi 2014 Olympics, are very popular today.

The official website also invites visitors to download an application that allows them to view the Coca-Cola Olympic flame directly from their phone, and join the VKontakte and Facebook groups.

You will not be able to find out where the Coca-Cola prize distribution center is located or whether there are vacancies in the company on these resources. To be honest, it is not entirely clear why they were created at all, since they do not carry any useful value.

You can find out more from the official VKontakte group: Here you can ask questions. It’s even strange that the company’s management still hasn’t thought of posting on regional websites the most popular, analyzed information that interests consumers, or at least creating a FAQ section on the website, for example.

It is impossible not to mention the universal, so to speak, main site http://www.coca-colacompany.com/. It is here that the user can find comprehensive information about the company and its activities, interesting articles, albeit in English.

At the address you can find the address of the official website of Yves Saint Laurent, the history of the creation of the brand and information about its extravagant founder.

Pictures of Coca-Cola

The drink is sold in different containers; the bottles have been redesigned several times; for example, here are some variations:

"Coca-Cola" (English) Coca-Cola) is one of the most popular carbonated soft drinks in the world, produced by The Coca-Cola Company.

This beloved drink by many people has been leading the popularity chart for more than 100 years, and is sold in more than 200 countries around the world, but let’s first look at where it all began...

History of Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola drink was invented by the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton (formerly an officer in the American Confederate Army) on May 8, 1886 in the USA (Atlanta, Georgia) as a medicinal syrup. However, there is a story that the inventor of the recipe for the most popular drink in the world is a farmer who sold his recipe to John Stith for $250.

Having prepared the first Coca-Cola (caramel-colored syrup), John Stith Pemberton took it to the largest pharmacy, Jacobs. The remedy for nervous disorders, Coca-Cola, was sold in pharmacies in 200 ml bottles and cost 5 cents. Only after some time did pharmacy clerks begin to mix the syrup with sparkling water, after which Coca-Cola began to be carbonated and sold in vending machines.

The composition of real Coca-Cola included cola nuts and coca bush leaves, which contain the narcotic substance cocaine. At that time, cocaine was used in drinks instead of alcohol for the enjoyment of the drink. But, starting in 1903, cocaine was banned and the recipe for cola was revised.

Together with Coca-Cola, independent brands Pepsi-Cola (USA) and Afri-Cola (Afri-Cola, Germany) arose. Many other brands also appeared, but unlike Pepsi, they had to be closed after lawsuits. Some of them are: Fig Cola, Candy Cola, Cold Cola, Cay-Ola and Koca Nola. I somehow remembered the fake Adidas sneakers in the 90s, which could be purchased at the Troeshchinsky market: Abibas, Adiads, and some of them even had 4 stripes 😀 .

The ingredients of today's most popular drink are a trade secret, the full recipe, written in Pemberton's hand, is stored in a special safe, and only 2 people from the company's top management have access to it and can open the safe only in the presence of each other. Employees bear criminal liability for disclosing components. We only have access to a general set of components.

Classic Coca-Cola Ingredients:

- potassium;
- calcium;
- sodium;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
— orthophosphate acid (E338);
- caffeine;
— carbon dioxide (E290);
- sugar;
- dye;
- flavorings.

Calorie content of Coca-Cola

The calorie content of classic Coca-Cola is 42 kcal per 100 g.

A glass of Coca-Cola can improve the condition of our body, but systematic use leads to harmful consequences.

Harm of Coca-Cola with its constant consumption:

- increased blood pressure and stress on the heart muscle due to high levels of caffeine, so if you have hypertension, then you should abstain from Coca-Cola;

— dangerous for tooth enamel due to its high acid content (10 times higher than that of fruit juice);

- contributes to the destruction of the walls of the stomach, which can develop into gastritis and then into an ulcer, also due to the high acid content, therefore, if you have any gastrointestinal diseases, then you should refrain from drinking any carbonated drinks;

- promotes the leaching of calcium from bones due to phosphoric acid in the composition;

- increases the load on the liver due to the high sugar content, as a result, a huge amount of insulin is released into the blood.

Often on a bottle of Coca-Cola it is indicated that it does not contain sugar, and this is true, but instead of sugar they add various sweeteners, which are also harmful. They often cause increased heart rate, fatigue, migraines and, sometimes, even depression.

Coca-Cola is contraindicated:

- small children;
- for hypertension;
- for any gastrointestinal diseases;
- if you are overweight;
- for diabetes mellitus.

In addition to harm, Coca-Cola also has a number of consequences, but that’s another story :)

The Coca-Cola Company - The “name” of our today’s hero is known to everyone.

The stories of successful organizations are very similar to the biographies of great people. The largest companies were also once “born” - they were founded, they also had “father and mother” - founders and investors, they were also given a name at birth, and their lives were filled with both ups and downs.

The Coca-Cola brand is the most popular on the planet; 6.5 billion people are familiar with it, which is equal to 94% of the world's population. Thanks to the world's largest distribution system, the legendary soda is consumed in more than 200 countries.

The company employs more than 146,000 people worldwide. Now Coca-Cola is supplier No. 1 drinking water, carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, juices, nectars, as well as ready-to-drink teas and coffee.

In addition to widespread recognition, the Coca-Cola brand is also a leader in financial indicators. The company's net profit is calculated in billions of dollars.

Coca-Cola shares are a tasty morsel, with major investment funds such as Berkshire Hathaway holding a stake in the company. In the rankings of the most valuable brands over the past decade, Coca-Cola has firmly occupied first place, pushing aside corporations such as Microsoft, IBM, Google and Nokia.

The Coca-Cola Company achieved such success thanks to the drink of the same name, which is its most famous product.

Do not rush to run away from the monitors if you drink exclusively natural juices and look disapprovingly in the direction of “sweet water”. As popular wisdom says, “there are no comrades according to taste.” I admit honestly that I myself do not drink Coca-Cola. Not only does it not quench your thirst, because it is sweet and it makes you want to drink even more, but it is also harmful.

That's what I admire most! How we managed to create such a successful business that helped the Coca-Cola brand become the most recognizable. I also want to say that I even managed to work for a whole day at this company. This is not a typo, I worked at this company all day, but I’ll tell you about it next time...

The world empire for the production of soda was organized not even in the past, but in the century before last - in 1892 in Atlanta.

Now the company, which began with sales of a dozen bottles a day, sells more than 1.5 billion servings of drinks every day. If you divide all the Coca-Cola produced among the world's population, then there will be 767 bottles for each of us!

How did Coca-Cola manage to achieve such impressive results?

The success of an enterprise depends on two main components - the product produced and its advertising. Let's take a closer look at these important components.

Coca-Cola celebrates its “birthday” May 8, 1886 when an American, the owner of a small pharmaceutical company, invented his recipe.

He did not limit the circle of consumers of the drink to his relatives, but went straight to the largest pharmacy in Atlanta, where he offered to sell his invention for 5 cents per serving.

Pemberton was convinced of the healing properties of cola, which helped cope with nervous disorders, fatigue and stress. The “medicinal” benefits of “cola” were quite understandable, because the syrup included an extract of coca leaves, i.e. cocaine, the harm of which was proven only at the beginning of the 20th century.

Pemberton's entrepreneurial spirit was the beginning of a long journey for cola. Pemberton's accountant came up with the name for the drink.

He put together the names of the main ingredients of the drink, which, in addition to coca leaves, included cola tree nuts. Proficient in calligraphy, Robinson also donated his logo to the drink.– beautiful curly letters on a red background.

One of the cola sellers, Mr. Venable, once diluted Pemberton's syrup not with plain water, but with soda. The carbon dioxide-saturated “fizzy drink” was very popular among the population.

Unfortunately, the creator of cola died 2 years after its invention, and did not have time to reap the benefits of his success.

Pemberton's syrup recipe is purchased by an aspiring entrepreneur (Asa Griggs Candler, 1851 - 1929), an immigrant from Ireland, and thus the business is in very good hands. Mr. Candler was the model of an enterprising and assertive business man. In 1893, he registered the Coca-Cola trademark and founded the company of the same name, The Coca-Cola Company.

Under Candler's leadership, both the product and the way it was marketed underwent innovation. The businessman set out to improve the recipe for the drink to improve the taste and increase its shelf life.

By replacing fresh coca leaves with “squeezed” ones, cocaine is removed from the composition of soda, the dangers of which have been talked about in scientific circles. In the press, cola was even cited as a reason for the aggressive behavior of African Americans from poor neighborhoods. A devastating article appeared in the then popular New York Tribune newspaper, which said that “blacks” who got drunk on Coca-Cola became crazy and attacked “whites.”

Nowadays caffeine is used as a stimulant, and the detailed recipe for modern “cola” is no longer a big secret. True, some of the ingredients are impressive - the amount of sugar per glass of drink is 9 spoons!

Candler was one of the first entrepreneurs to understand the benefits of a “trademark.” To create a popular and easily recognizable product, the businessman used non-standard solutions.

Now they are the ABC of marketing, but then they belonged to the class of innovations.

For example, Candler supplied pharmacies with a batch of free cola in exchange for the addresses of visitors to the establishment, to whom he sent free coupons for the purchase of the drink by mail. People were happy to “sip a glass” for nothing and buy the supplement themselves.

I would like to note that Coca-Cola owes much of its success to Prohibition, which was introduced in Atlanta in 1886. People then switched from alcohol to sweet soda. That is, if you intend to create a successful business, then you should take this aspect into account.

The product must be in demand. Coca-Cola has become a good alternative to alcohol. By the way, look at the advertisements above, did you notice what the bet was placed on?

In fact, at that time, Coca-Cola was promoted not only as a medicine, but also as an energy drink, which are so popular now. Coca-Cola was refreshing and invigorating – that’s what the advertising slogans of those years said.

The release of various souvenirs with the Cola emblem also increased the distribution of the brand. In 1902, with sales of $120,000, Coca-Cola became the most famous drink in the USA.

The resourceful Irishman also organized the first ever advertising campaign for Coke. Her first motto was: “Drink Coca-Cola. Tasty and refreshing." Since those distant times, Coca-Cola has changed dozens of slogans, among which there are not only those calling to quench thirst (1922: “Thirst knows no season,” 1929: “A respite that refreshes”), but also patriotic ones (1906: “The Great Non-Alcoholic drink of the nation,” 1937: “America’s Favorite Moment,” 1943: “Universal Symbol of the American Way of Life”) and even romantic ones (1932: “The Light of the Sun with the Cool of Ice,” 1949: “COCA… on the Road That Leads Anywhere” , 1986: “Red, White and You”).

The “Coke” slogans played on the deepest strings of the American soul, touching a sense of pride in their nation.

Coca-Cola was advertised by the most famous and beautiful actors, the most beloved and popular athletes. Now the Coca-Cola brand is so successful that it no longer needs advertising from celebrities, whose fame is already much less than the fame of the brand itself. I remember a joke about this:

“A representative of the Coca-Cola company calls President Putin:

– Do you want to change the Russian flag to red and white, the color of Coca-Cola, for 10 billion dollars?

– It’s difficult to answer right away, you have to think about it. Calls Medvedev back: - Dima, when does our contract with Aquafresh end? »

In 1989, Coca-Cola became the first foreign company to advertise in Moscow on Pushkinskaya Square.

It's no secret that a product that is in great demand becomes a victim of counterfeits. To combat the counterfeiting of the drink, the company even hired the famous Pinkerton detective agency.

In addition to obvious fraud, the corporate identity of “Cola” was subjected to “harassment” - its name, color, and logo font were borrowed. Such attempts to bask in the rays of someone else's glory were stopped quickly and categorically - the court recognized the company's exclusive right to the patented Coca-Cola brand.

In 1916 alone, it was initiated more than 150 lawsuits against imitation brands, such as Fig Cola, Candy Cola, Cold Cola, etc. Relations with the main competitor Pepsi were also difficult. The battle of “stakes” saw both court proceedings and peace agreements; some marketing moves in this “Cold War” of soda generally deserve a separate article.

The general availability of the drink, when it began to be produced in glass bottles, also played a big role in the company’s success. Before 1894 "Cola" was sold on tap, and Joseph Biedenharn, a Mississippi businessman, became the first person packed cola in glass containers.

He sent 12 bottles personally to Mr. Candler, but he was not enthusiastic about the innovation. Possessing a brilliant entrepreneurial spirit, he somehow failed to see the great future of cola packaging. In 1899, two lawyers, Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead, bought from Candler for a nominal fee of $1 the exclusive rights to bottle and sell Coca-Cola.

In 1915, Benjamin Thomas approached designer Earl Dean to came up with an original shape for the cola bottle. With the task set – to make glass containers recognizable “to the touch, in the dark and even when broken” – the creative did an excellent job.

The drop-waist bottle shape, reminiscent of a cocoa fruit, was introduced to the public in 1916 and added another distinctive feature to the Coke image. At an auction in California, a Dean bottle, which is a prototype of the following models, was sold for $240,000!

1919 – new owner of Coca-Cola

In 1919, The Coca-Cola Company changes its owner. This was preceded by the appointment of Asa Candler as mayor of Atlanta in 1916. With the transition to a new position, Candler had to relinquish his powers as the chief executive of the Coca-Cola company.

At that time, he was already a very rich man, and all this was thanks to timely investments in cola. By the way, do you know that Asa Candler bought the patent for Coca-Cola from Pemberton's widow for only $2,300(!). This subsequently brought him hundreds of millions of dollars.

Thanks to the sweet pop, Candler subsequently established the Central Bank and Trust Company, owned a large amount of real estate, was famous for donating millions of dollars to the Methodist Church, and bought and donated a large tract of land for Emory University's move from Oxford to Atlanta.

He subsequently showed his brilliant entrepreneurial talent as mayor of Atlanta. He inherited most of The Coca-Cola Company to his children, who later sold them for 25 million dollars group of bankers led by Ernest Woodruff, who four years later handed over the reins of the company to his 33-year-old son Robert.

The emergence of Woodruff at the head of the company is associated with Coca-Cola's entry into foreign markets. This is how cola factories appear in France, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam

Soda has firmly entered the lives of Americans and has become “the guy” at celebrations of various events, when playing sports and even on the battlefield.

During World War II, the company's president since 1923 set a goal for employees that "every man in uniform could buy 5 cent bottle of cola wherever it is, and no matter what it costs us.”

By the way, before the start of World War II, Coca-Cola was sold in 44 countries. It was Woodruff who 60 years of his reign had the greatest influence on the development of the company and, in particular, on the expansion of the drink around the world.

Could Robert Woodruff then imagine that in the 21st century the company's products would be produced in more than 200 countries around the world?!

Under the leadership of this marketing genius, the first cola vending machines were launched, a standard six-bottle package was developed, the assortment was replenished with Sprite and Diet Coke, and plastic Coca-Cola bottles appeared.

With Woodruff, Coca-Cola began its collaboration with the Olympic movement, in 1928, sponsoring the IX Olympic Games in Amsterdam. Since then, Coca-Cola has gone hand in hand and even runs with sports - since 1992, the company has been one of the organizers and sponsors of the Olympic torch relay.

The Coca-Cola Company currently cooperates with more than 190 national Olympic committees and is an official partner of FIFA, the NBA and a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup.

In 1931, another turning point in the history of the company took place. Artist Haddon Sundblom painted Santa Claus for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign.

The image he came up with of a good-natured old man dressed in a red and white suit was so successful that now the people of the United States imagine Santa this way.

But before Sundblom, the main character of American New Year holidays was portrayed in any way, even as an elf, and dressed in costumes of various colors.

Nowadays, Santa Claus is “one color in winter and summer,” and his bright “Coca-Cola” coloring in itself serves as a good advertisement for the drink.

But the story of Coca-Cola is not entirely reminiscent of a Christmas tale. The Internet is full of “horror stories” that describe alternative methods of using the drink - removing rust, cleaning car windows, etc.

The height of cruelty to soda is the claim that American cops use it to wash away blood at crime scenes. Is this really how representatives of the law understand the advertising slogan of 1993 “ always Coca-Cola»?)

In program releases "MythBusters" on the Discovery Channel many of these legends have been tried and dispelled. The efficiency of cleaning with a drink is higher than cleaning with ordinary water, but significantly lower than that of special products.

No specific negative effect of cola on the human body has been officially established. So “to drink or not to drink” is a personal matter for every adult. I emphasize, an adult, because... Children themselves cannot refuse temptation, so it is the responsibility of parents to monitor their health.

The company's marketing management says it does not target children in its strategy. That’s true, but at the only Coca-Cola Museum in the world in Atlanta, admission for schoolchildren is free and they are brought on excursions by busloads. Here are the next sweet soda lovers growing up.

The continuity of generations is obvious - just think about it, Coca-Cola, which has already managed to fly into space and win the love of the NEXT generation, was also drunk by the great-great-grandmothers and great-great-grandfathers of our contemporaries.

Coca-Cola is tough!

In 1955, Coca-Cola tries to dress in new clothes. The drink began to be poured into aluminum cans, which were originally invented during the war for the convenience of soldiers.

The late 50s and early 60s were characterized by the expansion of The Coca-Cola Company's product range. In 1958, Fanta appeared, and in 1961, Sprite.

Currently, the world empire produces more than 200 types of drinks, of which Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite owns 80% of total sales. By the way, this fact once again confirms the effectiveness of the Parreto principle, according to which in retail outlets 20% of the products presented on retail shelves make 80% of the turnover.

Or in another way they say that 80% of all goods are needed only so that the main 20% sell well.

In the 70-80s of the last century, the company continued to increase its presence in the world. New factories were built, new quality standards were introduced, distribution channels were improved, new advertising and marketing “tricks” were developed, which immediately affected the company’s results.

Thus, in 1988, according to the results of a survey conducted by various independent agencies, Coca-Cola became the most famous and preferred brand in the whole world. By the way, the company firmly held this title from 2000 to 2012.

Rapid growth in the 90s...

The nineties of the 20th century turned out to be very successful for the company. So, by 1997, the company’s sales increased so much that the volume of beverage sales for twelve months of 1997 was comparable to the sales of all the company’s drinks over the past 75 years (!). Just think about these crazy numbers!

Innovative 2000s...

The two thousand years are characterized as innovative for the company. Coca-Cola is introducing new production standards. For example, the legendary figurative cola bottle is changing. No, it did not change visually; production technologies changed, thanks to which it was possible to increase the strength of the bottle by 40% and reduce the weight by 20%.

The company is also starting to fight against waste recycling and improving the environmental situation in the world. In 2007, the company introduced equipment in production with which used PET bottles can be used to create new packaging.

And in 2009, The Coca-Cola Company received a special award for the invention of new packaging, which is 100% recyclable and also contains a third of plant ingredients.

From 2008 to the present, the company is headed by Mukhtar Kent. This American of Turkish origin began his career at Coca-Cola from the very bottom. He was able to work for companies all over the world.

So in 1985, he headed the Coca-Cola department in Turkey and Central Asia. Later he was appointed vice president of Coca-Cola International, which is responsible for 23 countries. In 1995, Mukhtar Kent headed Coca-Cola Europe. where he managed to increase turnover by 50%.

What makes the Coca-Cola company so successful?

As the company itself states, they are using the world's largest beverage distribution system. Add to this billion-dollar budgets for advertising and competent marketing - here you have a recipe for success.

Year after year, grain by grain, the company was busy building competent sales. I'm a little familiar with how Coca-Cola works. I was able to study her sales system from the inside. True, it was a very short moment, which I will talk about in one of the following issues, but it was enough for me to appreciate the genius of the “sales people” of this company.

  • Firstly, the company has built factories for the production of its drinks in all major countries and cities.
  • Secondly, has clearly proven logistics, which allows it to deliver its products daily to all retail outlets where the company’s drinks are sold.
  • Third, the company has entangled with its sales representatives all cities and regions not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Thanks to this, the company’s refrigerators are located not only in large shopping centers and megamarkets, but also in neighborhood stores and stalls. Moreover, these refrigerators are located in the most advantageous places, which most attract the attention of buyers and, accordingly, make the greatest sales.
  • Fourth, aggressive advertising that influences our consciousness from all possible media ROUND THE CLOCK!

The company's mission in the 3rd millennium is not only to refresh the world, body, mind and spirit, but also to bring meaning to everything it does.

The Coca-Cola Company is improving water use, replacing refrigeration equipment with environmentally friendly ones, and investing millions of dollars to build plastic bottle recycling plants.

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