THE COCA-COLA COMPANY History

In July 1886, pharmacist John Stith Pemberton from Columbus, Georgia invented the original Coca-Cola drink, which was advertised as helpful in the relief of headache, to be placed primarily on sale in drugstores as a medicinal beverage, Pemberton continued mixing experiments and reached his goal during the month of May, the new product as yet unnamed nor a carbonated drink, was ready for the market and was made available for sale. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, is credited with naming the product and creating its logo. Robinson chose the name Coca-Cola because of its two main ingredients (coca leaves and kola nuts) and because it sounded like an alliteration. John Pemberton had taken a break and left Robinson to make and promote, as well as sell Coca-Cola on his own. He promoted the drink with the limited budget that he had, and succeeded.

In 1889, American businessman Asa Griggs Candler completed his purchase of the Coca-Cola formula and brand from Pemberton's heirs. In 1892, the Coca-Cola Company was formally founded in Atlanta by Candler. By 1895, Coca-Cola was being sold in every state in the union. In 1919, the company was sold to Ernest Woodruff's Trust Company of Georgia.

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Coca-Cola's first ad read "Coca Cola. Delicious! Refreshing! Exhilarating! Invigorating!" Candler was one of the first businessmen to use merchandising in his advertising strategy. As of 1948, Coca-Cola had claimed about 60% of its market share. By 1984, The Coca-Cola Company's market share decreased to 21.8% due to new competitors, namely Pepsi.

Acquisitions

Coca-Cola acquired Minute Maid in 1960 for an undisclosed amount. In 1982, it acquired the movie studio Columbia Pictures for $692 million. Columbia was sold to Sony for $3 billion in 1989.

The company acquired the Indian cola brand Thums Up in 1993, and Barq's in 1995. In 1999, Coca-Cola purchased 50% of the shares of Inca Kola for $200 million, subsequently taking control of overseas marketing and production for the brand. In 2001, it acquired the Odwalla brand of fruit juices, smoothies, and bars for $181 million. It announced Odwalla's discontinuation in 2020. In 2007, it acquired Fuze Beverage from founder Lance Collins and Castanea Partners for an estimated $250 million.

The company's 2009 bid to buy Chinese juice maker Huiyuan Juice Group ended when China rejected its $2.4 billion bid, on the grounds the resulting company would be a virtual monopoly. Nationalism was also thought to be a reason for aborting the deal.

In 2011, it acquired the remaining stake in Honest Tea, having bought a 40% stake in 2008 for $43 million. In 2013, it finalized its purchase of ZICO, a coconut water company. In August 2014, it acquired a 16.7% (currently 19.36% due to stock buy backs) stake in Monster Beverage for $2.15 billion with an option to increase it to 25%, as part of a long-term strategic partnership that includes marketing and distribution alliance, and product line swap. In 2015, the company took a minority stake ownership in the cold pressed juice manufacturer, Suja Life LLC. In December 2016, it bought many of the former SABMiller's Coca-Cola operations. The Coca-Cola Company owns a 68.3% stake in Coca-Cola Bottlers Africa. Coca-Cola Bottlers Africa's headquarters located in Port Elizabeth South Africa.

The Coca-Cola Company acquired a 40% stake in Chi Ltd on January 30, 2016. The Coca-Cola Company acquired the remaining 60% stake in Chi Ltd on January 30, 2019.

In 2017, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Mexican sparkling water brand Topo Chico.

On August 31, 2018, it agreed to acquire Costa Coffee from Whitbread for £3.9bn. The acquisition closed on January 3, 2019. During August 2018, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Moxie for an undisclosed amount. On August 14, 2018, The Coca-Cola Company announced a minority interest in Body Armor. On September 19, 2018, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Organic & Raw Trading Co. Pty Ltd the manufacturer of MOJO Kombucha in Willunga, Australia.

On October 5, 2018, The Coca-Cola Company acquired a 22.5% stake in MADE Group from the company's three founders: Luke Marget, Matt Dennis, and Brad Wilson. The Coca-Cola Company owns a 30.8% stake in Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd; therefore, The Coca-Cola Company owns a further 6.93% stake in MADE Group through its ownership stake in Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd.

Source:

Wikipedia