The History of The Coca-Cola Company
The global Coca-Cola Company, founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its close ties to the city and, in particular, its philanthropic history.
In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton created the soft drink Coca-Cola by combining soda water, lime, cinnamon, coca leaves, and Brazilian shrub weeds. The drink was originally sold in Atlanta in Jacob’s Pharmacy for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink. TheThe global Coca-Cola Company, founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its close ties to the city and, in particular, its philanthropic history.
actual “Coca-Cola” trademark was suggested by Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson. Robinson thought that a name with two C’s would look nice in advertising, and he penned the now-famous Coca-Cola logo in his own handwriting. Pemberton’s recipe was purchased on April 14, 1891, for $2300 by Asa Chandler, an Atlanta pharmacist and businessman who turned Coca-Cola into the internationally recognized brand it is today. By 1892, Chandler’s talent for merchandising had boosted sales of Coca-Cola nearly tenfold. He soon collaborated with his brother John S. Chandler, John Pemberton’s former partner Frank Robinson, and two other associates to form a Georgia corporation called The Coca-Cola Company. Ernest Woodruff purchased the Coca-Cola Company in 1919 for $25 million. He turned the company
over to his son Robert Woodruff in 1923. Today Coca-Cola’s reach spreads far beyond Georgia and even the United States; the company has become one of the world’s most recognizable corporations. The Coca-Cola brand is one of the five most recognized symbols in the world. Currently, the Coca-Cola Company has nearly 400 brands in over 200 countries. In 2004, the company’s total net operating revenue equaled $21,962.