Coca-Cola History (2024)

FAQs

What is the brief history of Coca-Cola? ›

Our History

On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton served the world's first Coca‑Cola at Jacobs' Pharmacy in Atlanta, Ga. From that one iconic drink, we've evolved into a total beverage company. More than 2.1 billion servings of our drinks are enjoyed in more than 200 countries and territories each day.

The Origin of Coca‑Cola

On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brought his perfected syrup to Jacobs' Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta where the first glass of Coca‑Cola was poured. Serving about nine drinks per day in its first year, Coca‑Cola was an exciting new drink in the beginning. See the story here of how it all began.

The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886, where it initially sold for five cents a glass.

About five years later, mass-bottling was made possible. In 1899, three businessman in Chattanooga, Tennessee secured exclusive rights to bottle and sell the high-demand soft drink for only $1. Shortly thereafter, Benjamin Thomas, Joseph Whitehead and John Lupton established the globally-used Coca-Cola bottling system.

Coca-Cola was first introduced on May 8, 1886, by a pharmacist named Dr. John S. Pemberton. The recipe for Coca-Cola removed the alcohol present in Pemberton's previous drink recipe for Pemberton's French Wine Coca, as prohibition legislation had been passed in Atlanta, Georgia.

DR PEPPER IS THE OLDEST MAJOR SOFT DRINK IN AMERICA.

Originally made in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, the drink's unique flavor was a hit when it was first sold in 1885.

It wasn't until the creation of root beer in 1876 that soda began to evolve into a drink option. Cola flavored soda entered the market shortly after in 1881. Dr Pepper was created in 1885 and believed to be the first soda as we know it today followed by Coca-Cola one year later.

In 1909, the Pure Food and Drug Act passed, and the United States government seized 40 barrels and 20 kegs of Coca-Cola syrup because they considered the added caffeine to be a harmful ingredient. One of the first noted criticisms of Coca-Cola was that it produced serious mental and motor deficits.

The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It produces Coca-Cola.

Who bottled the first Coca-Cola? ›

The first person to bottle co*ke was Joseph A. Biedenharn, owner of a candy store in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Correctly determining that bottles could boost sales, Biedenharn put the drink into Hutchinson bottles, a common and reusable glass bottle that bore no resemblance to the modern co*ke bottle.

Case Summary

The suit alleged that Coca-Cola employed racially discriminatory business practices that limited the professional advancement of African-American employees.

No, Coca‑Cola is a publicly traded company; shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Pemberton died from stomach cancer at age 57 in August 1888. At the time of his death, he also suffered from poverty and his worsening addiction to morphine. His body was returned to Columbus, Georgia, where he was buried at Linwood Cemetery.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company's purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide.

On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Stith Pemberton sold the first glass of Coca-Cola. Originally developed as a health cure, Coca-Cola went on to become the most recognized brand in the world. For many, it symbolizes the growth of American business and international expansion.