Coca Cola Essay

Submitted By ortlui
Words: 572
Pages: 3

Like many people who change history, John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, was inspired by simple curiosity. One afternoon, he stirred up a fragrant, caramel colored liquid and, when it was done, he carried it a few doors down to Jacobs' Pharmacy. Here, the mixture was combined with carbonated water and sampled by customers who all agreed this new drink was something special. Coca-Cola was originated as a soda fountain beverage in 1886 selling for five cents a glass. Early growth was impressive, but it was only when a strong bottling system developed that Coca-Cola became the world-famous brand it is today. Asa G. Candler, a natural born salesman, transformed Coca-Cola from an invention into a business. He found brilliant and innovative ways to introduce them to this exciting new refreshment. Candler gave away coupons for complimentary first tastes of Coca-Cola, and outfitted distributing pharmacists with clocks, urns, calendars and apothecary scales bearing the Coca-Cola brand. People saw Coca-Cola everywhere, and the aggressive promotion worked. By 1895, Candler had built syrup plants in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. In 1894, a Mississippi businessman named Joseph Biedenharn became the first to put Coca-Cola in bottles. He sent 12 of them to Candler, who responded without enthusiasm. Five years later, Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead, two young attorneys from Chattanooga Tennessee, believed they could build a business around bottling Coca-Cola. In a meeting with Candler the two attorneys obtained exclusive rights to bottle Coca-Cola across most of the United States for the sum of one dollar. A third Chattanooga lawyer, John T. Lupton, soon joined their venture. The business was growing fast; the three pioneer bottlers divided the country into territories and sold bottling rights to local entrepreneurs. By 1909, nearly 400 Coca-Cola bottling plants were operating, most of them family-owned businesses. Bottlers worried that the straight-sided bottle for Coca-Cola was easily confused with imitators and they look for a new design for the product. A design from the Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana won enthusiastic