History of
Coca-Cola
1886-1892:
The beginning
It was 1886 and in New York Harbour, workers were constructing the Statue of Liberty. Eight hundred miles away, another great American symbol was about to be unveiled.
Like many people who change history, John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, was inspired by simple curiosity. One afternoon, he stirred up a fragrant, caramel-coloured 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. So Jacobs’ Pharmacy put it on sale for five cents (about €0.04) a glass.
Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, named the mixture
Coca-Cola
and wrote it out in his distinctive script. To this day,
Coca-Cola
is written the same way.
In the first year, Pemberton sold just nine glasses of
Coca-Cola
a day. A century later, The
Coca-Cola
Company has produced more than ten billion gallons of syrup.
Over the course of three years, between 1888-1891, Atlanta businessman Asa Griggs Candler secured rights to the business for a total of about $2,300 (about €2,022). Candler would become
Coca-Cola
’s first president and the first to bring real vision to the business and the brand.
Keep reading the
Coca-Cola
story…
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1886-1892
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1893-1904
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1905-1918
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1919-1940
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1941-1959
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1960-1981
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1982-1989
History of
Coca-Cola
: 1990-1999
History of
Coca-Cola
: 2000-Now