15 Interesting Facts about Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is one of the largest beverage companies in the world existing in more than 200 countries with the most cunning and aggressive advertisements in the market. It is believed more than 96% of the people in the world can identify and relate the company’s logo to the brand.

Here are 15 facts we think you will find interesting about Coca-Cola that you may not have heard about.

1. Origins of Coca Cola brand name

The brand name Coca-Cola comes from its original ingredients, “Coca” leaves and “Kola” nuts.

2. Coca Cola was invented by a pharmacist

Coca-Cola was invented by Atlanta-based pharmacist and former colonel in the US confederate army during the civil war, John S. Pemberton in 1886. The name was made by his bookkeeper, Frank Robinson who the scripted logo that is still used today in his beautiful handwriting.

3. Coca-Cola once contained cocaine

The very first Coca-Cola products contained about 9 milligrams of cocaine per glass until 1903 when it was removed. It was meant to be a substitute for alcohol and a cure opium addiction. Today, Coca-Cola contains caffeine.

4. Coca-Cola was ranked as third most valuable brand

In 2015, Coca Cola was the world’s third most valuable brand, after Apple and Google. It is worth an estimated $83.8 billion which is more than Budweiser, Subway, Pepsi, and KFC combined.

5. The mystery behind Coca-Cola’s Santa Claus

In 1931, Coca-Cola created the image of modern Santa Claus when illustrator Haddon Sundblom painted a plump, jolly Santa in a red coat with white sleeves and white beard which represented the brand colors. The image was based on the Clement Moore poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and Scandinavian heritage.

6. Coca-Cola made Fanta for the German Nazis

Many of top Coca-Cola executives during WWII were Nazis and when German Coca-Cola plants could no longer ship ingredients to make Coke, the company helped them make Fanta.

7. Coca-Cola can be used as a cure for certain things

Coca-Cola is believed to cure a lot of things such as hiccups, low libido, relieving jellyfish stings and Diet Coke has been proven by studies to kill sperms as a spermicide although it is not recommended to be used as a birth control method.

8. Coca-Cola is 132 years old

Since its formation in 1886 by Pemberton and later Asa Griggs Candler who took over the business in 1888 following Pemberton’s death. Coca-Cola has been in existence for 132 years.

Coca-Cola products once contained about 9 milligrams of cocaine per glass until 1903 when it was removed.

9. A Coca-Cola can contains 5 tablespoons of sugar

One 12-ounce can of Coke has at least 39gms total sugar, which is roughly 5 tablespoons of sugar.

10. Coca-Cola is banned in some countries

North Korea and Cuba are the only countries where Coca-Cola products aren’t sold.

11. Cola-Cola has over 500 brands

Coca-Cola has more than 500 brands (3,500 beverages) in its product portfolio that would take you more than nine years to try them all if you took one per day including energy drinks, soy-drinks and soda.

12. Coca-Cola tastes better at 3 degrees Celsius

The perfect temperature to take a Coke according to the company is between 1 – 3 degrees Celsius.

13. Mexico & America are biggest consumers of Coke products

The biggest drinkers of Coke in the world are Mexicans and Americans. On average, Mexicans drink 745 Coke beverages a year while Americans drink 401.

14. Coca-Cola’s secret formula

Coca-Cola’s formula is no longer a big secret. The original is held in a vault in a branch of SunTrust Bank Atlanta close to the Coca-Cola headquarters.

In 2011, NPR’s This American Life announced that they had found the papers of an Atlanta historian named Charles Salter, who had seen the recipe in a pile of documents belonging to the inventor John Pemberton. It is a fluid extract of coca, lemon oil, cinnamon oil, nutmeg oil and caramel although Coke insisted it is an old version of the solution.

15. Coca-Cola is a danger to your health

Coca-Cola has been believed to have serious health effects. In one documented story, a 30-year old mother of 8 died after drinking 2 gallons of Coke daily for year which ruined her liver, heart and rotted all of her teeth. One of her children was born without enamel on the teeth.

Lawrence writes about tech, lifestyle, politics, business, crypto and occasionally entertainment. He writes for Newslibre and Spur Magazine while consulting with numerous international companies on strategy, community management and marketing.

He has contributed to the journalism, open source, film, youth, web, Andela and Mozilla communities.