7 facts about Coca-Cola you didn't know
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: remarkable facts about Coca-Cola, did you know this already?
That first hissing sound when the bottle or can opens, those ice-cold tingles in your throat, and that distinctive taste: cola is and remains an iconic drink. These facts about Coca-Cola are surprising or familiar, and provide a glimpse into one of the world's most recognizable success products...
Because there are plenty of nonsense stories about Coca-Cola, from stomach explosions to dissolving teeth, but that just shows that the drink captures the imagination of many people. And some exciting stories are actually true, or at least confirmed by Coca-Cola itself or news sources. Did you know this for example?
Red Alert
The distinctive red of the logo was originally intended to easily distinguish Coca-Cola barrels in trade from barrels containing alcohol. John Stith Pemberton, the inventor of the drink, marketed it as an alternative to alcohol. And because a hefty tax had to be paid on alcohol in 19th century America, the cola barrels were red so tax agents could quickly distinguish them during transport. The rum and cola must not have been that popular at the time...
The iconic bottle
That special glass bottle, with the bulging belly, the name in relief, and the full ribs was designed in that shape to distinguish itself from copycats like Toka-Cola and Koka-Nola. The idea was that this way, even in the dark by touch, you could distinguish a Coca-Cola bottle from fakes.
The OG sixpack
Now when you think of a sixpack, you probably immediately think of six cans of beer, nice and cold taken to a festival or picnic. But according to Coca-Cola, they were the inventors of this way to buy and transport a number of bottles of cola in 1923.
Secret recipe
Not just any secret this recipe, but really locked away in a vault-secret. The recipe for the complex drink is kept in the World Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, in a locked vault in a permanent exhibition. It used to be in a vault of a local bank, but now it is part of the museum.
Among the stars
In 1985, astronauts drank Coca-Cola in the Challenger space shuttle. According to the company, this was the first time a soft drink was consumed in space. Nowadays you can bake cookies in a rocket, but this was of course a very big deal!
Typical typography
That iconic font, no one should touch it. The font is called ‘Spencerian Script’ and has been fully patented since 1983.
Spy stories
This story could be the basis for a TV series, but it actually happened that a (former) employee of Coca-Cola tried to sell trade secrets to Pepsi, the major competitor. Secretary Joya Williams was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to pass on confidential documents and samples. Pepsi did not respond, and instead alerted the FBI, which promptly and successfully launched an undercover investigation into Williams and two co-defendants.
