Everything You Didn’t Know About Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is arguably the most famous brand on the entire planet, but how much do you really know about the soft drinks company?

Coke and Pepsi

Pepsi are undoubtedly Coca-Cola’s biggest competitor. In fact since the 1980s the two companies have been ‘fighting’ the ‘Cola Wars’, a turn of phrase used to describe the aggressive mirroring of their marketing campaigns.

But back 1932 Coke had three separate opportunities to buy out Pepsi. But they declined as they thought Pepsi-Cola was a working class drink and saw their own beverage as more of a high-end product.

Coke and Cocaine

There was originally approximately 9 milligrams of cocaine in an average sized glass of coke, but it was completely removed from the recipe in 1903. Today the company use a coca leaf extract that is free from cocaine and officially contains no trace of the illegal substance whatsoever.

Coke and Their Secret Recipe

When Neville Isdell stepped down as CEO of Coca-Cola having worked for the company for 43 years he admitted that he’d never been told the secret recipe. He said he knew the system for keeping it secret, but nothing more than that.

But there’s no real need for the recipe to be kept secret as Coca-Cola are the only American company that are legally allowed to import coca leaves, which can be turned into cocaine.

Coke and the Nazis

Coca Cola was one of three official drink sponsors at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, otherwise known as the Nazi games. And they continued to produce and sell Coke in Germany even after Britain and France had declared war on the Nazi state.

It was only when the United States entered the Second World War that production stopped, as increased trade restrictions meant the bottling plants couldn’t get hold of the sugar and syrup used to make it.

It was also illegal to import ready-made Coke into Nazi Germany so Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola Deutschland started production of an orange flavoured alternative called Fanta. Yes, Fanta was invented in Nazi Germany! How upsetting.

Coke and its Popularity

The Coca-Cola Company sell 1.7 billion Cokes across the world every single day. That works out just shy of 20 servings every single second.

Astonishingly the word “Coke” is thought to be the second most recognizable in the entire world! The only word more people know the meaning of is “okay”.

And while we’re on the subject of Coke’s worldwide popularity did you know that 94% of the world’s population recognize the company’s logo, and thus are the most recognized brand in the world.

When he’s not drinking Coke Harry Donald spends his days writing about the many novelty gifts on offer at Find Me A Gift, the gift ideas people.