 Logo used since 1946 | |
 Coca-Cola has retained many of its historical design features in modern glass bottles. | |
| Type | Cola |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Region of origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Introduced | May 8, 1886 |
| Color | Caramel E-150d |
| Variants | |
| Related products | Mojo Pepsi RC Cola Afri-Cola Postobón Inca Kola Kola Real Cavan Cola Est Cola |
| Website | coca-cola.com |
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings each day.[1] Coca-Cola ranked No. 94 in the 2024 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by revenue.[2] Based on Interbrand's "best global brand" study of 2023, Coca-Cola was the world's sixth most valuable brand.[3]
Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, Coca-Cola was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1888, Pemberton sold the ownership rights to Asa Griggs Candler, a businessman, whose marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to its dominance of the global soft-drink market throughout the 20th and 21st century.[4] The name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts (a source of caffeine).[5] The formula of Coca-Cola remains a trade secret; however, a variety of reported recipes and experimental recreations have been published. The secrecy around the formula has been used by Coca-Cola as a marketing aid because only a handful of anonymous employees know the formula.[6] The drink has inspired imitators and created a whole classification of soft drink: colas.
The Coca-Cola Company produces concentrate, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold exclusive territory contracts with the company, produce the finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate, in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. A typical 12-US-fluid-ounce (350 ml) can contains 38 grams (1.3 oz) of sugar (usually in the form of high-fructose corn syrup in North America). The bottlers then sell, distribute, and merchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores, restaurants, and vending machines throughout the world. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for soda fountains of major restaurants and foodservice distributors.
The Coca-Cola Company has on occasion introduced other cola drinks under the Coke name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, along with others including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Vanilla, and special versions with lemon, lime, and coffee. Coca-Cola was called "Coca-Cola Classic" from July 1985 to 2009, to distinguish it from "New Coke".
- ^ Elmore, 2013, p. 717
- ^ "Coca-Cola". Fortune. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best Global Brands - The 100 Most Valuable Global Brands". Interbrand. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Eschner, Kat (March 29, 2017). "Coca-Cola's Creator Said the Drink Would Make You Smarter". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
So Pemberton concocted a recipe using coca leaves, kola nuts and sugar syrup. "His new product debuted in 1886: 'Coca-Cola: The temperance drink,'" writes Hamblin.
- ^ Greenwood, Veronique (September 23, 2016). "The little-known nut that gave Coca-Cola its name". BBC. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Ivana Kottasova (February 18, 2014). "Does formula mystery help keep Coke afloat?". CNN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.