25 Refreshing Facts About World’s Favorite Drink – Coca-Cola

The “Share a Coke” is a multi-national marketing campaign where Coca-Cola replaced its name on bottles with people’s first names. This move increased Coca-Cola's sales in USA by more than 2% and in doing so, helped reverse more than 10 years of decline in Coke consumption in the U.S.

2. In 1935, to verify whether Coca-Cola was kosher, Rabbi Tobias Geffen was provided with its formula on the condition that he not disclose it. The Rabbi requested that the non-kosher beef tallow be substituted with a vegetable-based gylcerin, which was done, and the drink was declared kosher.

3. In 1999, Coca-Cola invented the vending machine that could adjust its prices based on the temperature, allowing it to hike up the price of a Coke on a hot summer day. Customers denounced the idea, while even Pepsi accused Coke of exploitation.

4. Mexican shamans began to use Coca-Cola in their religious rituals to heal worshippers. When PepsiCo discovered this, they offered commissions to shamans for using Pepsi instead. When Coca-Cola began paying too, rival religious groups were formed based on which soft drink they use.

5. In 2004, Coca-Cola introduced their 'Dasani' water brand at a premium price in the UK. It was discovered to be London mains water that was simply put through reverse osmosis. Somehow they also introduced a carcinogen called bromate into the water and the brand had to be shut down when public found out.

Coca-Cola bottled in Cleveland, Ohio never switched to high-fructose corn syrup. They have always used natural sugar.

7. Coca-Cola tried to market "OK" soda so they would have products named with the two most recognizable words in the world. While "OK" and "Coke" are still number one and two, "OK" soda never caught on and was discontinued shortly after launch.

8. In 2006, three people tried to sell Coca Cola’s secret new product to Pepsi. Pepsi proceeded to report them to Coca-Cola and the FBI.

9. With the help of Dwight Eisenhower, Coca-Cola produced a secret "White Coke" variant of the popular drink. It was made specifically for a powerful Soviet Military Marshall who loved Coca-Cola but needed to hide the fact he was drinking it as it was seen as an American imperialist product.

10. Coca-Cola introduced Tab-Clear to ruin the Crystal Pepsi marketing campaign. Tab-Clear was marketed as an inferior diet drink. This confused consumers into thinking Crystal Pepsi was also an inferior diet drink. Both drinks died within 6 months.

Coca-Cola approved the use of their famous polar bear ad in the film Natural Born Killers without knowing what it was about and was furious when they found out.

12. Coca-Cola sales in Sweden often drop more than 50% during Christmas, due to the tradition of drinking Julmust.

13. Coca-Cola's distribution network is being used to transport life-saving medicines to remote regions of Zambia.

14. Coca-Cola was originally invented and marketed as a cure for morphine addiction.

15. Coca-Cola switches back to cane sugar from corn syrup during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

When Coca-Cola announced the return of Coke's original formula in 1985, ABC News interrupted General Hospital to break the story.

17. In 1953, Coca-Cola attempted to persuade the US Treasury to mint a 7.5 cent coin. A can of Coke had been a nickel since 1886 and its price needed to be raised due to inflation, but they felt a dime was too much.

18. Coca-Cola is 90% water. Diet Coke is 99% water.

19. Coca-Cola was ordered by the US judge to turn over their secret formula twice and they refused to do it both the times.

20. American Coca Cola tastes different to International Coca Cola.

In order for Coca-Cola to continue to exist in its current form, the company has a special arrangement with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to allow them to import dried coca leaves from Peru (and to a lesser degree, from Bolivia) in huge quantities.

22. In 1914 the Coca-Cola Company was flooded with look-alike competitors. They requested design proposals for their product: a “bottle so distinct that you would recognize it by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground.” It became a classic example of design patents for law students.

23. Coca-Cola Freestyle machines send data to Coke's headquarters to help inform them whether beverage flavors should be recalled, discontinued, or created.

24. Coca-Cola was originally marketed for whites, while Pepsi was marketed for blacks.

25. In 2000, Coca-Cola launched a campaign against water called H2NO, in which the program taught waiters how to use "suggestive selling techniques" to offer a variety of alternative beverages when diners asked for water.