Wouldn’t it be grand if just sipping a bottle of Coke could solve the world’s problems? I believed it back in the 70’s, and I think my grandmother did too. We often had a weekend dinner and sometimes a sleepover on Bard Avenue. The very first thing I did when I stepped into her little galley kitchen was grab a coke out of the fridge. She was brand-faithful, meaning there were certain things she’de always have in her house, never switching brands. Coke, Ivory Soap, Laughing Cow Cheese and Jean-Nate Body Splash were among them.
HISTORY: Coke was invented in 1886 by Doctor John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. He concocted the Coca Cola formula in a three legged brass kettle in his backyard. The name was a suggestion given by John Pemberton’s bookkeeper Frank Robinson. Frank Robinson also had excellent penmanship. It was he who first scripted “Coca Cola” into the flowing letters which has become the famous logo of today.
Coca -Cola was first sold to the public at the soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta. Until 1905, the soft drink, marketed as a tonic, contained extracts of cocaine as well as the caffeine-rich kola nut. In 1887, another Atlanta pharmacist and businessman, Asa Candler bought the formula for Coca Cola from inventor John Pemberton for $2,300. By the late 1890s, Coca Cola was one of America’s most popular fountain drinks, largely due to Candler’s aggressive marketing of the product. With Asa Candler, now at the helm, the Coca Cola Company increased syrup sales by over 4000% between 1890 and 1900.
Advertising was an important factor in John Pemberton and Asa Candler’s success and by the turn of the century, the drink was sold across the United States and Canada. Around the same time, the company began selling syrup to independent bottling companies licensed to sell the drink. Even today, the US soft drink industry is organized on this principle.
Until the 1960s, both small town and big city dwellers enjoyed carbonated beverages at the local soda fountain or ice cream saloon. Often housed in the drug store, the soda fountain counter served as a meeting place for people of all ages. Often combined with lunch counters, the soda fountain declined in popularity as commercial ice cream, bottled soft drinks, and fast food restaurants became popular.On April 23, 1985, the trade secret “New Coke” formula was released.
Today, products of the Coca Cola Company are consumed at the rate of more than one billion drinks per day.
That’s nuts. But you know what? To this day, I still have Coke in the house for whenever someone’s got a sour stomach. The bottom line is, even though it’s loaded with sugar and there is no nutritional value… it still really works as a tonic.
This morning I went to Target for cleaning supplies and really unnecessary stuff for This Old House. Out of the corner of my eye I caught the logo…
This is why I love Target… $12.99 and you, too, can have a vintage Coca Cola Tee. I’de like to submit this photo to Snappy Di, who periodically posts “What Boomers Are Wearing” pics… Diane, I’m ALMOST a boomer, just two years shy of it..and this is what I wear almost always. A tee and worn jeans. These have rips and frays, much to my delight and my husband’s chagrin.
As for the concept of being brand-faithful, my grandmother had something. You can still find Coke, Ivory Soap, Jean Nate and Laughing Cow Cheese in your grocery story. I’ll admit I went to the other side for a while, but I eventually came back to Coca Cola.
Although it hasn’t done for ME what it apparently does for HER…..
