Coca-Cola First Sold in Glass Bottles

12th March 1894

Targa illustrativa del cambiamento di forma della bottiglia di Coca-Cola negli anni.

On this day, Coca-Cola was sold in glass bottles for the first time. When Coca-Cola was first invented by John Pemberton in 1886, it was only available as a fountain drink in coffee shops in the Georgia region. In 1894, convinced that bottles could boost sales, Joseph Biedenharn, the owner of a candy store in Vicksburg, Mississippi, started to sell Coca-Cola in ordinary reusable glass bottles. Five years later, Griggs Candler, the current owner of the brand, sold the bottling rights for just one dollar, convinced that there was no future in it. The contract stipulated that a bottle of Coke would cost 5 cents and had no end date, a legal oversight that resulted in the price remaining the same until 1959. Later, in 1916, the iconic contoured bottle we know today made its first appearance.


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Author: Tony

Born and raised in Malaysia between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Educated at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England. Living in the foothills of Mount Etna since 1982 and teaching English at Catania University since 1987.

4 thoughts on “Coca-Cola First Sold in Glass Bottles”

  1. That bottle is undoubtedly an icon like the Leica M in photography, the Imac G3 in computing, the JLC Reverso in watchmaking or the Tortellini in Bologna, whether you like it or not.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Icon think of nothing better than a plate of tortellini in Bologna in the company of Paolo and a bottle or three of red wine! 😉

      Like

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