The Coca-Cola Company * Informational Report -

April 7th, 2011

Table of Contents
Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………….. 2
Early History………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Company Attitude……………………………………………………………………….. 4
The Woodruff Era: 1919 – 1955.......…………………………………………….. 4
Diversification and New Products in Foreign Countries: 1955-1981…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
The Goizueta Era: 1980s……………………………………………………………….. 5
Key Dates ……………………………………………………………….……………………. 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Coca-Cola is a soft drink that is sold in more than 200 countries around the world. Originally Coca-Cola was intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by Dr. John Pemberton. Coca-Cola was bought out by a businessman, Asa Griggs Candler, who had an excellent sense of business. He marketed and sold the products alongside his philanthropies. He became a notable philanthropist and he used that to his advantage in marketing his product. The Coca-Cola Company grew tremendously under Candler’s 26 years of leadership.
The company produces concentrate Syrup, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the largest single Coca-Cola bottler in North America and Western Europe. In 1901, two young lawyers bought the bottling rights from Candler for $1. This incident had a huge impact on the company, three years after the bottling company was established, The Coca-Cola Company had sold their one millionth gallon of syrup.
The Coca-Cola Company became Coca-Cola Enterprises,