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Tina Walker
BUSI 520
Spring 2017
Brief History of Coca-Cola Company
The words Coca-Cola and its products have been around American households for as long as I
can remember. In the late 19th century, May, 1886 to be more exact, Coca-Cola was invented by
a pharmacist by the name of John Pemberton. The Coca-Cola formula was concocted in
Pemberton’s backyard in a three-legged brass kettle. He made a mixture of sugar, water, extracts
of coca leaf and extracts of kola nut. He also added caffeine to the syrup to give it a better
marketing strategy as a medicinal product. Frank Robinson was a friend of Pemberton’s, and
who also happened to be John’s bookkeeper, Frank was the one that suggested the invention be
called Coca-Cola. Frank had excellent penmanship, and it was he who first scripted the famous
logo still used today. Dr. John Pemberton sold a portion of the Coca-Cola company to Asa
Candler, after Pemberton's death the remainder was sold to Candler. Pemberton was forced to
sell because he was in a state of poor health and was in debt. He had paid $76.96 for advertising,
but he only made $50.00 in profits. Candler acquired the whole company for $2,300. By the late
1890’s, Coca-Cola had become one of America’s most popular fountain drinks, thanks to the
aggressive advertising by Asa (Bellis,2008).
