Coca-Cola was invented by Dr. John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist. Coca-Cola was originally used as a nerve and brain tonic and a medical elixir. Coca-Cola was named by Frank Robinson, one of Pemberton's close friends, he also penned the famous Coca-Cola logo in unique script.
Pemberton's small company grew rapidly after it was acquired by Asa Griggs Candler between 1889 and 1891. Candler, a successful druggist and businessman, outlined the company's basic strategy—the manufacture and distribution of Coca-Cola syrup to be mixed with carbonated water at the soda fountain.
By the late 1890s, Coca Cola was one of America's most popular fountain drinks, largely due to Candler's aggressive marketing of the product. With Asa Candler, now at the helm, the Coca Cola Company increased syrup sales by over 4000% between 1890 and 1900.
Advertising was an important factor in John Pemberton and Asa Candler's success and by the turn of the century, the drink was sold across the United States and Canada. Around the same time, the company began selling syrup to independent bottling companies licensed to sell the drink. Even today, the US soft drink industry is organized on this principle.
On April 23, 1985, the trade secret "New Coke" formula was released. Today, products of the Coca Cola Company are consumed at the rate of more than one billion drinks per day.
As the world's largest manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, operating in more than 200 countries, the firm supplies many products in addition to its flagship brand. These include fruit-based and other carbonated beverages tailored to local tastes as well as newer variants of the main brand, such as Diet, Cherry, and Vanilla Coke.