Origins of bottling
Bottling plant of Coca-Cola Canada Ltd. January 8, 1941. Montreal, Canada.
The first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn
Candy Company on March 12, 1894. [31] The proprietor of the bottling works was Joseph
A. Biedenharn.[32] The original bottles were Hutchinson bottles, very different from the
much later hobble-skirt design of 1915 now so familiar.
A few years later two entrepreneurs from Chattanooga, Tennessee, namely Benjamin F.
Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead, proposed the idea of bottling and were so persuasive
that Candler signed a contract giving them control of the procedure for only one dollar.
[33] Candler never collected his dollar, but in 1899, Chattanooga became the site of the
first Coca-Cola bottling company. Candler remained very content just selling his
company's syrup.[34] The loosely termed contract proved to be problematic for The Coca-
Cola Company for decades to come. Legal matters were not helped by the decision of
the bottlers to subcontract to other companies, effectively becoming parent bottlers.
[35] This contract specified that bottles would be sold at 5¢ each and had no fixed
duration, leading to the fixed price of Coca-Cola from 1886 to 1959.
20th century
The first outdoor wall advertisement that promoted the Coca-Cola drink was painted in
1894 in Cartersville, Georgia.[36] Cola syrup was sold as an over-the-counter dietary
supplement for upset stomach.[37][38] By the time of its 50th anniversary, the soft drink
had reached the status of a national icon in the US. In 1935, it was certified kosher by
Atlanta Rabbi Tobias Geffen with the help of Harold Hirsch, Geffen was the first person to
see the top-secret ingredients list after facing scrutiny from the American Jewish
population regarding the drink's kosher status, [39] consequently the company made minor
changes in the sourcing of some ingredients so it could continue to be consumed by
Americas Jewish population and during Passover. [40]
Original framed Coca-Cola artist's drawn graphic presented by The Coca-Cola Company on July 12,
1944, to Charles Howard Candler on the occasion of Coca-Cola's "1 Billionth Gallon of Coca-Cola
Syrup."
Claimed to be the first installation anywhere of the 1948 model "Boat Motor" styled Coca-Cola soda
dispenser, Fleeman's Pharmacy, Atlanta, Georgia. The "Boat Motor" soda dispenser was introduced
in the late 1930s and manufactured until the late 1950s. Photograph circa 1948.
The longest running commercial Coca-Cola soda fountain anywhere was Atlanta's
Fleeman's Pharmacy, which first opened its doors in 1914. [41] Jack Fleeman took over
the pharmacy from his father and ran it until 1995; closing it after 81 years. [42] On July 12,
1944, the one-billionth gallon of Coca-Cola syrup was manufactured by The Coca-Cola
Company. Cans of Coke first appeared in 1955. [43]
New Coke
Main article: New Coke
The Las Vegas Strip World of Coca-Cola museum in 2003
On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola, amid much publicity, attempted to change the formula of
the drink with "New Coke". Follow-up taste tests revealed most consumers preferred the
taste of New Coke to both Coke and Pepsi[44] but Coca-Cola management was
unprepared for the public's nostalgia for the old drink, leading to a backlash. The
company gave in to protests and returned to the old formula under the name Coca-Cola
Classic, on July 10, 1985. "New Coke" remained available and was renamed Coke II in
1992; it was discontinued in 2002.
21st century
On July 5, 2005, it was revealed that Coca-Cola would resume operations in Iraq for the
first time since the Arab League boycotted the company in 1968.[45]
In April 2007, in Canada, the name "Coca-Cola Classic" was changed back to "Coca-
Cola". The word "Classic" was removed because "New Coke" was no longer in
production, eliminating the need to differentiate between the two.[46] The formula
remained unchanged. In January 2009, Coca-Cola stopped printing the word "Classic" on
the labels of 16-US-fluid-ounce (470 ml) bottles sold in parts of the southeastern United
States.[47] The change is part of a larger strategy to rejuvenate the product's image.
[47] The word "Classic" was removed from all Coca-Cola products by 2011.
In November 2009, due to a dispute over wholesale prices of Coca-Cola
products, Costco stopped restocking its shelves with Coke and Diet Coke for two months;
a separate pouring rights deal in 2013 saw Coke products removed from Costco food
courts in favor of Pepsi.[48] Some Costco locations (such as the ones in Tucson, Arizona)
additionally sell imported Coca-Cola from Mexico with cane sugar instead of corn syrup
from separate distributors.[49] Coca-Cola introduced the 7.5-ounce mini-can in 2009, and
on September 22, 2011, the company announced price reductions, asking retailers to sell
eight-packs for $2.99. That same day, Coca-Cola announced the 12.5-ounce bottle, to
sell for 89 cents. A 16-ounce bottle has sold well at 99 cents since being re-introduced,
but the price was going up to $1.19.[50]
In 2012, Coca-Cola resumed business in Myanmar after 60 years of absence due to
U.S.-imposed investment sanctions against the country. [51][52] Coca-Cola's bottling plant
will be located in Yangon and is part of the company's five-year plan and $200 million
investment in Myanmar.[53] Coca-Cola with its partners is to invest US$5 billion in its
operations in India by 2020. [54] In 2013, it was announced that Coca-Cola Life would be
introduced in Argentina and other parts of the world that would contain stevia and sugar.
[55] However, the drink was discontinued in Britain in June 2017. [56]
On August 28, 2020, the company announced the cut of "thousands" of jobs as a result
the COVID-19 pandemic effects; closing of bars, restaurants, and other venues resulted
in a lower demand for Coca-Cola. 4,000 "voluntary separations" will be provided to
employees based in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Subsequently, the
same model is set to be used for other Coca-Cola companies worldwide. [57]
