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Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated Business Information, Profile, and History
P.O. Box 31487
Charlotte, North Carolina 28231
U.S.A.
History of Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated is the second largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. This manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of soft drinks, primarily products of the Coca-Cola Company, is the local Coke bottler for almost 15.5 million people and 120,000 retail outlets in 12 southeastern states.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated can trace its history to 1902, when three North Carolina entrepreneurs--J. B. Harrison, J. Luther Snyder, and J. P. Gibbons--set out to bring bottled Coca-Cola to the Carolinas. Before these pioneers got to work, the thirsty had to travel to drugstore soda fountains to enjoy a Coke. In the early days of bottled Coke, production workers washed refillable bottles by hand, used manually operated bottling machines to fill them, corked them by hand, and sold them from horse-drawn carriages. These efforts helped build a thirst for Coke that survived the Great Depression and the sugar rationing of World War I and World War II. By the early 1970s, hand-washed bottles and horse-drawn carts had given way to sophisticated bottling and distribution operations. The offspring of the first North Carolina bottling companies were beginning to consolidate and expand their territories.
Coke Consolidated traces its more recent history to 1972, when the Charlotte Coca-Cola Bottling Co. renamed itself the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Mid-Carolinas and began trading its stock publicly. The following year, it acquired the Coca-Cola bottlers in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and Hamlet. The fast-growing concern became Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, which was incorporated in Delaware on May 14, 1980. James Johnson, who started working summers at the Statesville Coca-Cola Bottling Company when he was 11, became president and chief executive officer of both Charlotte Coca-Cola Bottling Company and the Carolina Coin Caterers Corporation in 1969. Johnson saw the new Coke Consolidated through its incorporation as president and CEO; from 1980 to 1987, he was vice chairman of the board and director of public affairs.
In 1983, chairman J. Frank Harrison, Jr., hired Marvin Griffin, from Coca-Cola USA to be Coke Consolidated's chief executive. Under Griffin's leadership, Coke Consolidated began to expand its territory more aggressively. In 1984, it acquired three Georgia bottlers: Federal Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Columbus, the Pageland Coca-Cola Bottling Works, and Waycross-Douglas Coca-Cola Bottling. The following year, Coke Consolidated purchased Wometco Coca-Cola Bottling Co. for $300 million, thereby acquiring new Coke franchise territories in Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The sale of Consolidated Coin Caterers Corp. and 1.5 million new shares helped finance the Wometco purchase. In 1986 Coke Consolidated added bottling companies in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. In 1987 and 1988, the company sold its Canadian subsidiary and added new territories in Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
Several outside factors hurt Coke Consolidated's profitability in the mid-1980s. First, the introduction of New Coke in April 1985--and the public's emphatic assertion that it preferred the old Coke--brought big losses to Coke bottlers across the country. Coke Consolidated suffered along with everyone else. The same summer, the Coca-Cola Company began marketing a new line of clothes under the Coke label. Because the new line was manufactured abroad, it created a public-relations nightmare for Coke Consolidated, a company located in the heart of the depressed textile communities of the Carolinas. Coca-Cola responded to consumer protests with a $5 million donation to the textile and garment industries' Crafted With Pride campaign, but the damage was done. A $5 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by a local bottler also cut into profits. Heavy discounting was unable to raise profits. In April 1987, Griffin was out as CEO.
The difficulties did not impede Coke Consolidated's expansion. In 1989, the company obtained the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of West Virginia, Inc., from The Coca-Cola Company in exchange for 1.1 million shares of common stock and about $4 million. The same year it added the territories of Dick-son, Tennessee, and Laurel, Mississippi. Coke Consolidated continued to acquire territories in North Carolina, Tennes-see, and Mississippi in 1990 and 1991, including the franchise rights for Barq's and Dr. Pepper in the Jackson, Tennessee, territory.
Coke Consolidated was involved in two price-fixing cases in the late 1980s, winning a major decision in one and arranging a novel settlement in the other. In the first, a major antitrust case, the company was one of several accused of price-fixing by Sewell Plastics, Inc., an Atlanta company that pioneered the development of two-liter bottles for soft drinks. In 1986, Sewell sued Coca-Cola and bottlers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama for $17 million, alleging that Southeastern Container Inc., a cooperative the bottlers created in 1982 with the help of Coca-Cola, violated antitrust laws by setting prices for the plastic bottles that the cooperative produced. The U.S. District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina, dismissed the suit, ruling that the formation of the cooperative had actually increased competition and resulted in lower prices to consumers. In September 1990, a federal appeals court upheld the lower court's decision. In February 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to renew the suit.
In a smaller price-fixing case, Coke Consolidated apparently became the first bottler to use coupons in a settlement. The West Virginia attorney general filed a price-fixing complaint against the company, alleging that it conspired to fix soft-drink prices from 1982 to 1985. Coke Consolidated, which said it acquired the offending bottler in 1985, agreed to settle the case by paying $50,000 to the state and attaching $50,000 worth of 20-cent coupons to two-liter bottles of Diet Coke, Diet Sprite, and Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. It distributed the bottles in areas of West Virginia where the alleged violations occurred.
In late 1991, analysts touted Coke Consolidated as a good stock bargain. Although a price war with PepsiCo's wholly owned bottling operation kept earnings down, Coke Consolidated per-share earnings were up after losing a cumulative $5.54 between 1986 and 1990. Analyst Joseph Frazzano told Forbes that although Coke Consolidated's stock was undervalued based on its cash flow, it was no target for an unfriendly takeover raid: the company had 9.2 million outstanding shares, Coca-Cola Co. held 30 percent of the equity, and the Harrison family controlled 86 percent of the votes.
The acquisition of Sunbelt Coca-Cola in 1991 for approximately $15.2 million in cash and company debt helped Coke Consolidated grow by 35 percent in 1991 and 1992. Before the acquisition, Coke Consolidated was the fourth-largest Coca-Cola bottler, with annual sales of $400 million. Adding Sunbelt, number eight with annual sales of $200 million, vaulted Coke Consolidated to second, behind only Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., an Atlanta company owned by Coca-Cola Co. By taking on the Charleston, South Carolina bottler, Coke Consolidated continued its growth strategy of purchasing bottlers in adjoining territories.
In 1993, a joint venture with the Coca-Cola Co. gave Coke Consolidated management responsibility for Wilmington Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Inc., Coastal Coca-Cola Bottling Co., and Eastern Carolina Bottling Company. Under the terms of the venture, named the Piedmont Coca-Cola Bottling Partnership, Coke Consolidated acquired new sales centers and territories in parts of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The company reported that the joint venture would increase sales by 15 percent and reduce the company's outstanding debt by about 20 percent. In addition, it gave Coke Consolidated control of more than 90 percent of the territory in the Carolinas.
In the late 1980s, Coke Consolidated invested in advanced computer systems to provide management with timely and relevant data. All its route salespeople received handheld computers to record sales transactions. That innovation allowed salespeople to transmit the information via phone lines and, sometimes, by satellite, to the company's Charlotte computer center at the end of the business day. The following morning, managers could pull up freshly compiled volume, sales mix, selling price, and gross margin information. Another information innovation, the Lab Management System, allowed the company to store and analyze information on its extensive quality assurance program. Its computer system, Norand, also enabled Coke Consolidated to incorporate new acquisitions into the system almost as soon as it acquired them. The sales centers of the companies involved in the Piedmont Partnership were all operating on Norand in less than two months.
Other Coke Consolidated innovations have come in the areas of customer service and sales. A 24-hour toll-free number allowed customers to call the Consumer Response Center with questions and comments and provided information for the company to use in determining trends and consumer concerns. The 'Cold Drink' organization made Coca-Cola products available in factories, entertainment venues, recreation areas, hotels, offices, and schools for on-site consumption. The 'fast-lane merchandiser' put cold Cokes at check-out lines in retail outlets to encourage impulse buying.
Coke Consolidated's close relations with the Coca-Cola Co. have involved marketing collaborations as well as business opportunities. In the early 1990s, Coke Consolidated began working with Coke on the Mello Yello 500 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the weeks before the race, point-of-sale displays, visits by show cars and drivers to retail outlets, and tailored advertising drew attention to the race and boosted sales. On race day, 180,000 fans at the Speedway and millions more at home would see the event and the related advertising.
Coke Consolidated earned a record $14.8 million in 1993 on net sales of nearly $687 million, compared to a loss of $118.3 million (attributed to mandatory accounting changes) on sales of almost $656 million in 1992. The net income applicable to common shareholders was $1.60 per share. The company attributed the improvement in earnings to the 5 percent boost in revenues, in addition to lower packaging costs, improved operating efficiencies, and the tax and financing cost benefits of a refinancing of preferred stock in late 1992.
These results capped a five-year period during which the company's sales and operating cash flow nearly doubled, from $389 million in 1989 to 1993's $687 million. Income from operations during the period increased by approximately 20 percent each year, from $23.8 million to $57.3 million, and adjusted earnings per share (a measure that takes into account earnings per share plus amortization per share) grew by 30 percent annually. The return to shareholders during the five-year period averaged 13 percent.
Coca-Cola Consolidated, a Fortune 500 company, produced more than 343,000 cases of soda per day from its four manufacturing centers--Charlotte/Snyder Production Center, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Mobile, Alabama. From company headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, president and CEO James L. Moore oversaw 10 division offices, 74 distribution centers, and the work of approximately 5,000 employees. The company could boast steady growth, solid family ownership, and a strong relationship with the owner of perhaps the most recognizable brand name in the world. As it looked ahead, Coke Consolidated was confident that it would continue to generate volume growth from within and add new customers through the acquisition of additional territories.
Principal Subsidiaries: Columbus Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Nashville, Inc.; Dickson Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Coca-Cola Bottling Works of Columbia, Tenn.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Roanoke, Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Mobile, Inc.; Albany CCBC Inc.; Panama City Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Case Advertising Inc.; CC Beverage Packing, Inc.; Tennessee Soft Drink Production Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of West Virginia, Inc.; Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Jackson, Inc.; Mrs. Sullivan's Pies, Inc.; Jackson Acquisitions, Inc.; Sunbelt Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; Palmetto Bottling Company; Fayetteville Coca-Cola Bottling Company; Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Affiliated, Inc.
Related information about Coca-Cola
|introduced=1886
|discontinued=
|colour = Caramel
|related= Pepsi-Cola,
RC Cola, Mecca Cola, OpenCola
|variants=Coca-Cola Classic
}}
Coca-Cola (often "Coke") is a carbonated cola and the world's most popular
soft drink. The Coca-Cola
Company's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia,
where the drink was first concocted around 1886. Coke's inventor John Pemberton was not a
shrewd marketer of his drink, but the ownership of Coke eventually
passed to Asa
Candler, whose company remains the producer of Coke today.
Candler's successful marketing, continued by his successors such as
Robert
Woodruff, established Coke as a major soft drink first in the
United States and
later around the world.
Originally designed to be sold at soda fountains, Coca-Cola was later sold in
bottles, whose distinctive shape have become a part of the drink's
branding. Major advertising campaigns have established Coca-Cola slogans such
as "The pause that refreshes" and "Always the Real Thing" as part
of popular
culture. The formula for Coke, whose status as a trade secret has been
embellished by company lore, originally contained an uncertain
amount of cocaine,
though this was reduced over time (falling to 1/400th of a grain,
or 0.16 milligrams, per ounce of syrup by 1902)According to
Snopes, and eliminated
around 1906 as health regulations were tightened. Nevertheless,
Coca-Cola has been criticized for its possible negative health
effects, including many urban myths. This tension reached its peak during the
1980s, at the height of the Cola Wars, which eventually resulted in the heavily
publicised introduction of "New Coke." The widely unpopular decision was eventually
rescinded in the face of public opposition.
The Coca-Cola
Company has on occasion introduced soft drinks under the
Coca-Cola brand name. The most famous of these is Diet Coke, which has become a
major diet cola, but
others exist, such as Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke. There are also some drinks marketed by the
company but which remain unaffiliated with Coca-Cola the drink,
such as Sprite.
History
Early years
Columbus,
Georgia druggist John Stith Pemberton invented a cocawine called Pemberton's
French Wine Coca in 1885, although it was originally meant to
be a headache medicine. He was inspired by the formidable success
of French Angelo
Mariani's cocawine, Vin Mariani.
The same year, when Atlanta and Fulton County passed Prohibition legislation, Pemberton began to
develop a non-alcoholic version of the French Wine Coca. His book
keeper (and later lead Marketeer), Frank Robinson, coined the name Coca-Cola, because
it included the stimulant cocaine and was flavored using kola nuts, a source of caffeine. The first sales were made at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on
May 7, 1886, and for the first eight
months only an average of nine drinks were sold each day. Pemberton
ran the first advertisement for the beverage on May 29 that year in the
Atlanta
Journal.
Coca-Cola was initially sold as a patent medicine for five cents a glass.
Pemberton claimed Coca-Cola cured myriad diseases, including morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence.
In 1887, Pemberton sold a stake in his company to Asa Griggs Candler,
who incorporated it as the Coca Cola Corporation in 1888.Green Party USA
(2004). "A Green Party USA Perspective
on the Coca-Cola Boycott". Candler apparently purchased
exclusive rights to the formula from John Pemberton, Margaret Dozier, and
Woolfolk Walker.
45–47.
In 1892, Candler incorporated a second company, The Coca-Cola
Company — the efficiency of this concerted advertising campaign
would not be realized until much later.
Candler pioneered several
promotional techniques, such as the distribution of vouchers for free glasses of
Coca-Cola, and advertising through media varying from soda fountain
urns to wall murals (a
possible ancestor of the billboard).Jones, Eleanor & Ritzmann, Florian.
Retrieved June 17, 2006.
Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time on March 12, 1894. The first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in
Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn Candy Company in 1891.
The distinctive "hobble-skirt" bottle design now associated with
Coca-Cola was introduced in 1915. "Collecting Coca-Cola
Bottles, Part 1: The First Coca-Cola Bottles". Retrieved May
16, 2006.
After the advent of bottling, the company began taking advertising
even more seriously than it had before, hiring William D'Arcy, whose
creations set the tone for Coca-Cola advertising that his
successors would follow. Instead of targeting particular population
segments, D'Arcy attempted to appeal to as broad a class of people
as possible, with advertising copy such as "All classes, ages and
sexes drink Coca-Cola".
After Candler, the next executive to have a major impact on Coke's
future was Robert
Woodruff, who focused on expanding the scope of the business to
the rest of the US. It was Woodruff who assumed responsibility for
designing Coca-Cola's foreign advertising campaigns, affixing the
company logo to racing
dog sleds in Canada
and Spanish bullfighting arenas. He also introduced some new forms
of distributing Coca-Cola, such as the six-pack carton, which made bulk purchases of
Coca-Cola substantially easier."Robert Woodruff".
Retrieved June 17, 2006.
In 1929, the onset of the Great Depression led to fears that sales might be
depressed for the year. a 1935 advertisement depicted a man
nonchalantly smiling on his way to work, presenting an idealised
view of American life at the time. The proliferation of Coca-Cola,
and a newcomer to the soft drink market, Pepsi, during this period led to a decline in the
sales of Moxie, which had
outsold Coca-Cola as recently as 1920, and continued to rival
Coca-Cola's dominance of the American market. by offering
twelve-ounce bottles for the same price (five cents) as Coca-Cola's
six-ounce bottles, as well as a musical jingle in its advertising campaign, PepsiCo
succeeded in becoming a challenger to Coca-Cola's dominance of the
American market, with its profits doubling from 1936 to 1938.
World War II to the 1970s
When the United States entered World War II, sugar rationing in the United States
meant Coca-Cola was unable to produce drinks at full capacity.
However, a deal was struck between the U.S. government and
Coca-Cola whereby the company was exempted from sugar rationing,
while Coca-Cola supplied free drinks to the United States Army.
The U.S. Army permitted Coca-Cola employees to enter the front lines as "Technical
Officers" where they operated Coke's system of providing
refreshments for soldiers, who welcomed the beverage as a reminder
of home.
Eventually, the difficulty of shipping Coca-Cola concentrate to
Germany and its occupied states, due to the Allied blockades, led
to the creation of a new drink (Fanta) by a Coca-Cola employee. Fanta is still sold worldwide to this day.
Another wartime innovation was the trademarking of "Coke" by the Coca-Cola Company,
validating it as a way of referring to Coca-Cola. Initially having
been restricted only to North America and Western Europe, Coke was
soon being distributed in numerous other countries, especially
those, such as the Philippines, which had been occupied by the Americans
during World War II. The process was aided
by the company assuming control of a number of Coca-Cola
manufacturing plants which had been established during the war by
the army, with help from the company, in order to spur distribution
of the drink to soldiers.
1985 to the Present
In April 1985, The Coca-Cola Corporation launched a reformulated
Coca-Cola, dubbed New
Coke with an intense marketing effort.
Coca-Cola and Local Competitors
Pepsi is often second
to Coke in terms of sales, and outsells Coca-Cola in some
localities. Around the world, some local brands do compete with
Coke.
In Peru, Inca Kola
outsells Coca-Cola. AllBusiness.
In Sweden, Julmust outsells Coca-Cola
during the Christmas
season."About Kristall Beverage".
Retrieved June 14, 2006.
In Scotland, the
locally produced Irn-Bru
was more popular until 2005 when Coca-Cola and Diet Coke began to
outpace its sales.Murden, Terry (Jan. 30, 2005). Scotland on
Sunday.
In India, Coca-Cola ranks third behind the leader, Pepsi-Cola, and
local drink Thums Up.
Clifford (February 10, 2003) "Finally, Coke Gets It
Right in India". Retrieved August 9, 2006.
In the Middle East, Mecca
Cola is seen as a competitor to Coca-Cola.
In Turkey, Cola Turka is
a major competitor to Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola and Islam
Due to its symbolic association with the United States,
Coca-Cola has been a target of anti-Americanism in the Middle East. One such
instance in 2000 saw a claim that the Coca-Cola label contained
hidden anti-Islamic phrases in Arabic. The Coca-Cola Company claimed sales
dropped 10 to 15% in Egypt
after the rumour began spreading in 2000. The controversy became so
widespread that the Grand Mufti of Egypt - who has proudly admitted in related interviews
that he himself indulges in at least one Coke daily - publicly
addressed it, declaring that the logo "does not injure Islam or
Muslims".Mikkelson, Barbara (2001). Retrieved May 16, 2006.
Mecca Cola was
launched in France in 2002 and has since proliferated in Europe and
the Middle East. BBC.
Production
Coca-Cola formula
As a publicity
marketing
strategy started by Ernest Woodruff, the company presents the formula of
Coca-Cola as one of the most closely held trade secrets in modern
business to which only a few employees have access.Mikkelson,
Barbara (1999). However, experienced perfumers and food scientists — can easily identify the
composition of food products, a fact that is further supported by
the many cola flavorings and competing soft drinks like Pepsi."The Coca-Cola Recipe".
Coco (fluid extract of coca), citric
acid, lime
juice, sugar, water, and caramel sufficient, and "X":
oils of orange,
lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, and neroli.
Franchised production model
The actual production and distribution of Coca-Cola follows a
franchising model. The bottlers are normally also responsible for
all advertisement and other sales initiatives within their
areas.
The Coca-Cola Company owns minority shares in some of its largest
franchisees, like Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola Amatil,
Coca-Cola
Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC) and Coca-Cola FEMSA, but
fully independent bottlers produce almost half of the volume sold
in the world.
As the bottler adds sugar and sweeteners, the sweetness of the
drink is said to differ in various parts of the world, in order to
cater for local taste.
Bottle and logo design
The famous Coca-Cola logotype is said to have largely been created by John
Pemberton's business partner, Frank Mason
Robinson, in 1885. The typeface used, known as Spencerian script, was
developed in the mid 19th century and was the dominant form of
formal handwriting in the United States during that period.
The equally famous Coca-Cola bottle, called the "Contour bottle" within
the company, but known to some as the "hobble skirt" bottle, was
created in 1915 by a Swedish former glassblower, Alexander Samuelson, who had emigrated to
the US in the 1880's and was employed as a manager at The Root Glass
Company in Terre Haute, Indiana, one of Coca-Cola's bottle
suppliers. According to the Coca-Cola Company, Samuelson took time
to ponder a possible new design for the bottle after production at
his plant was shut down due to a heat wave. Inspired, he considered the possibility of
basing a new design on the kola nut or coca leaf, two of the drink's flagship ingredients. a
crucial ingredient in chocolate, but not Coca-Cola. One alternative depiction
has Raymond Loewy
as the inventor of the unique design, but although Loewy did serve
as a designer of Coke cans and bottles in later years, he was in
the French Army in the year the bottle was invented and did not
migrate to the United States until 1919. Others have attributed
inspiration for the design not to the cacao pod, but to a Victorian hooped dress.
Advertising
Coca-Cola's advertising has had a significant impact on American
culture, and is frequently credited with the "invention" of the
modern image of Santa
Claus as an old man in red-and-white garments; Mikkelson, "
The Claus That Refreshes,"
snopes.com, February 27, 2001 (accessed June 10, 2005). In the
1970s, a song from a Coca-Cola commercial called "I'd
Like to Teach the World to Sing", produced by Billy Davis, became a
popular hit single, and is widely considered one of the best
advertising campaigns in history. Advertising for Coke is now
almost ubiquitous, especially in southern areas of North America, such as
Atlanta, where Coke was
invented.
Coca-Cola has gone through a number of different advertising
slogans in its long history, including "The pause that refreshes",
"Things Go Better", "(It's) The Real Thing", "Coke is it" and
"Always Coca-Cola" (see Coca-Cola slogans).
As a result of extensive campaigns in the early 20th century, the
Coca-Cola drink has a high degree of identification with the United
States itself, being considered an "American brand" or to a small
extent as representing America (compare Mickey Mouse). "The Coca-Cola Company Under the
Nazis". Retrieved May 16, 2006.
Starting in 1975, Pepsi-Cola ran a series of television advertisements
showing people participating in taste tests in which they expressed
a preference for Pepsi over Coke. one of Coke's ads compared the
so-called Pepsi
challenge to two chimpanzees deciding which tennis ball was furrier.
Coca-Cola has a long history of sports marketing relationships,
which over the years have included several major sports leagues
both in the United States and internationally. Two such notable
instances are Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the Olympic games, with Coke
being the first-ever sponsor of an Olympic game at the 1928 Summer
Olympics in Amsterdam, and also Coca-Cola's sponsorship of FIFA since 1978 in the 1978 FIFA World Cup,
which organises football tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup. The
English Football (Soccer) division 1, (the second division behind
the Barclays-sponsored - FA Premier League) has now been re-named the 'Coca-Cola
Championship'. Coca-Cola owns a Japanese rugby union club, the
Coca Cola
West Red Sparks, who are based in Fukuoka city, Kyushu, and compete in the Top League. A number of NASCAR's most popular drivers such as Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin and
Greg Biffle are part
of the Coca-Cola Racing Family. Drinkers use codes found on
bottles and 6/12 packs (which earn three times the points that
bottles do) and redeem them on the mycokerewards website.
Urban legends and unusual uses
The numerous urban legends about Coca-Cola have led the Urban Legends
Reference Pages to devote a whole section of their site to
"Cokelore". Coca-Cola has in particular been the target of urban legends decrying the
drink for its supposedly copious amounts of acid (its pH
value of 2.5 is midway between vinegar and gastric acid), or the "life-threatening" effects of its
carbonated
water. for example, "highway troopers use Coke to clean blood from highways
after accidents," "somebody once died in a Coke-drinking
competition," or "Coke can dissolve a tooth overnight." Coca-Cola
was also once believed to have been a possible form of birth control due to this
allegedly high acidity level being supposedly able to kill sperm.
www.snopes.com/cokelore/sperm.asp
One unusual use for Coke is as a rust-control substance?the
phosphoric acid
in Coke converts iron
oxide to iron phosphate, and as such can be used as an initial
treatment for corroded iron and steel objects being renovated, etc.
The acid can be used to anodize titanium according to various websites.Seeley, Bill. The
MythBusters tested this and found that Coke seemed to be no more
effective than any other liquid.
According to popular belief, the coca leaf extract cocaine was once added to
Coca-Cola, per se. The United States DEA
oversees the importation of coca for Coca-Cola, and later sale of
the extracted cocaine to the drug
industry.Miller, M. "Quality Stuff: Firm is Peddling Cocaine,
and Deals are legit" Wall Street Journal 27 October 1994.
Pit crews in NASCAR sometimes pour coke on
their pit stalls to create traction for the race car when
exiting/entering the pit. refer to third paragraph of this section
for detailed discussion and citations instead of digging for
anything that looks remotely controversial and tagging
it-->
Most nutritionists
advise that Coca-Cola and other soft drinks can be harmful if
consumed excessively, particularly to young children whose soft
drink consumption competes with, rather than complements, a
balanced diet. Studies have shown that regular soft drink users
have a lower intake of calcium (which can contribute to osteoporosis), magnesium, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, and vitamin A.Jacobson, Michael F.
Retrieved June 10, 2005.
Like most other colas, Coca-Cola contains phosphoric acid. Retrieved May 16, 2006.
There is also some concern regarding the usage of high fructose corn
syrup in the production of Coca-Cola.
FoodNavigator.com.
In India, there exists a major controversy concerning pesticides and other harmful
chemicals in bottled products including Coca-Cola. In 2003, the
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a , sale
and production of Coca-Cola, along with other soft drinks, has been
banned.Kerala bans Coke and
Pepsi Five other Indian states have announced partial bans on
the drinks in schools, colleges and hospitals.Indian state bans Pepsi and Coke On
Friday, September 22, 2006, the High Court in Kerala overturned the
Kerala ban ruling that only the federal government can ban food
products.Thomas, V.M. Indian Court Overturns
Coke, Pepsi Ban.
Notes and references
Additional topics
This web site and associated pages are not associated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated and has no official or unofficial affiliation with Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated.