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Saturday, April 21, 2007

History of Bottling

Coca-Cola® originated as a soda fountain beverage in 1886 selling for five cents a glass. Early growth was impressive, but it was only when a strong bottling system developed that Coca-Cola became the world-famous brand it is today.

1894 … A modest start for a bold idea
In a candy store in Vicksburg, Mississippi, brisk sales of the new fountain beverage called Coca-Cola impressed the store's owner, Joseph A. Biedenharn. He began bottling Coca-Cola to sell, using a common glass bottle called a Hutchinson.

Biedenharn sent a case to Asa Griggs Candler, who owned the Company. Candler thanked him but took no action. One of his nephews already had urged that Coca-Cola be bottled, but Candler focused on fountain sales.

Vintage image of bottling truck1899 … The first bottling agreement
Two young attorneys from Chattanooga, Tennessee believed they could build a business around bottling Coca-Cola. In a meeting with Candler, Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead obtained exclusive rights to bottle Coca-Cola across most of the United States -- for the sum of one dollar. A third Chattanooga lawyer, John T. Lupton, soon joined their venture.

1900-1909 … Rapid growth
The three pioneer bottlers divided the country into territories and sold bottling rights to local entrepreneurs. Their efforts were boosted by major progress in bottling technology, which improved efficiency and product quality. By 1909, nearly 400 Coca-Cola bottling plants were operating, most of them family-owned businesses. Some were open only during hot-weather months when demand was high.

Vintage Coca-Cola signage1916 … Birth of the Contour Bottle
Bottlers worried that Coca-Cola's straight-sided bottle was easily confused with imitators. A group representing the Company and bottlers asked glass manufacturers to offer ideas for a distinctive bottle. A design from the Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana won enthusiastic approval. The Contour Bottle became one of the few packages ever granted trademark status by the U.S. Patent Office. Today, it's one of the most recognized icons in the world - even in the dark!

1920s … Bottling overtakes fountain sales
As the 1920s dawned, more than 1,000 Coca-Cola bottlers were operating in the U.S. Their ideas and zeal fueled steady growth. Six-bottle cartons were a huge hit starting in 1923. A few years later, open-top metal coolers became the forerunners of automated vending machines. By the end of the 1920s, bottle sales of Coca-Cola exceeded fountain sales.

1920s and '30s … International expansion
Led by Robert W. Woodruff, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board, the Company began a major push to establish bottling operations outside the U.S. Plants were opened in France, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Belgium, Italy and South Africa. By the time World War II began, Coca-Cola was being bottled in 44 countries.

Vintage image of bottling plant1940s … Post-war growth
During the war, 64 bottling plants were set up around the world to supply the troops. This followed an urgent request for bottling equipment and materials from General Eisenhower's base in North Africa. Many of these war-time plants were later converted to civilian use, permanently enlarging the bottling system and accelerating the growth of the Company's worldwide business.

1950s … Packaging innovations
For the first time, consumers had choices of Coca-Cola package size and type-the traditional 6.5 ounce Contour Bottle, or larger servings including 10-, 12- and 26-ounce versions. Cans were also introduced, becoming generally available in 1960.

1960s … New brands introduced
Sprite®, Fanta®, Fresca® and TAB® joined brand Coca-Cola in the 1960s. Mr. Pibb® and Mello Yello® were added in the 1970s. The 1980s brought diet Coke® and Cherry Coke®, followed by POWERaDE® and Fruitopia® in the 1990s. Today scores of other brands are offered to meet consumer preferences in local markets around the world.

Bottling truck1970s and '80s … Consolidation to serve customers
As technology led to a global economy, retail customers of The Coca-Cola Company merged and evolved into international mega-chains. Such customers required a new approach. In response, many small and medium-size bottlers consolidated to better serve giant international customers. The Company encouraged and invested in a number of bottler consolidations to assure that its largest bottling partners would have capacity to lead the system in working with global retailers.

1990s … New and growing markets
Political and economic changes opened vast markets that were closed or underdeveloped for decades. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Company invested heavily to build plants in Eastern Europe. As the century closed, more than $1.5 billion was committed to new bottling facilities in Africa.

21st Century …
The Coca-Cola bottling system grew up with roots deeply planted in local communities. This heritage serves the Company well today as consumers seek brands that honor local identity and the distinctiveness of local markets. As was true a century ago, strong locally based relationships between Coca-Cola bottlers, customers and communities are the foundation on which the entire business grows.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla

Manufacturer The Coca-Cola Company
Country of Origin USA
Introduced 2006
Variants Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla
Related products Vanilla Coke, Coca-Cola Cherry

Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla and Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is a variety of Coca-Cola that was launched in January 2006 by The Coca-Cola Company in United States. The diet version is sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium and is marketed as part of the Diet Coke family. Currently it is available in 20-ounce, 2-liter, and 12-pack can forms. The release of this product coincided with the phasing out of Vanilla Coke and its diet counterpart in North America and the rechristening of Cherry Coke as Coca-Cola Cherry.

Coke Zero Black Cherry Vanilla is the "Coca-Cola" version of Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla launched in 2006 in Canada.

Throughout the first 6 months of the product's sale, the percentage of drinks bought from Coca-Cola and its variants that was Black Cherry Vanilla Coke was 4%, compared to 9% for Coca-Cola with Lime and 3% for Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke compared to 7% for Diet Coke with Lime, 13% for the Caffeine free Colas, 13.5% for Coke Cherry and Diet Coke Cherry, and 26% for Diet Coke.

Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla and Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla will be discontinued by the Coca-Cola Company in early 2007 in the United States & Canada

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Coca-Cola New Products

Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda

ATLANTA, February 7, 2005 – Coca-Cola North America today announced that it will introduce Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda® in the United States in the second quarter of 2005.
Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda will be the seventh addition to the
Diet Coke family, which includes the flagship Diet Coke, America’s #1 diet soft drink, plus Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Coke with Lemon, Diet Cherry Coke, and Diet Vanilla Coke.

“Many consumers told us they liked the taste of Splenda and wanted a Splenda-sweetened option under the Diet Coke brand, so we’re obliging them,” said Dan Dillon, Jr., vice president, Diet Portfolio, Coca-Cola North America. “The millions of current Diet Coke devotees across America shouldn’t be concerned – the Diet Coke they love will stay just as it is.”

The launch of Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda follows the successful roll out one year ago of Diet Coke with Lime, which has become the #1 flavored diet cola in America. The launch continues a year of innovation for The Coca-Cola Company which will include a range of offerings across all beverage categories.

Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda will feature a blend of Splenda and acesulfame potassium (ace-k) for optimal taste. It will be available in a range of package sizes and will be supported by a variety of marketing programs. Further details on launch plans will be made available closer to the introduction.

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's best-known brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks. Through the world's largest distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1 billion servings each day.
For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.coca-cola.com.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Coke Debuts Contour Can

Coca-Cola Co introduces new aluminum contour can for Coke Classic "early next month" in Terre Haute IN plus "4 southwest markets" (BD 2/7/97). Cans produced by American National Can (ANC) in Houston; filled at Coca-Cola Enterprises plant in Cleveland TN. New package about ¼-inch taller than straight-wall can. Coke executive: "Most filling lines and vendors can handle it with slight modification." Company to test different price points and package configurations. Multipacks. For Terre Haute test Coke introduces special 6-can paperboard wrap with open corners so cans visible to consumers; similar 8-/18-can packs planned for other test markets. Manufacture. Can production uses process developed by joint venture of ANC and Swiss-based Oberburg Engineering, says Packaging Strategies. Cans are shaped by "rotary machine equipped with expanding tools."

Designer. Joe Kornick of Chicago-based Kornick Lindsay (KL) designs contour can; also PET contour bottle, Sprite dimple bottle. Says KL develops "proprietary structures and graphics for consumer products." Kornick predicts contour can's cost ultimately "similar if not better" than straight-wall. Sprite. Industry observer: "Is a Sprite proprietary can far behind?"

Interview. BD asks Kornick: Appearance of new can? "We tried to capture the equity that exists in the contour bottle. That's represented in the curvilinear shape. It's represented in the pinch toward the bottom of the can. It's represented in the defined horizontal graphic display panel, and it's represented in the (vertical) fluting ... The critical thing here is that it really addresses the proportionality ... We did the proprietary PET bottle system for Coke ... We did the Sprite bottles, we did the Fanta bottles ... It's all part of an integrated system."

Contour can development time? "Literally years."

Development/your role? "We were the designers on the team which developed the can. (It) was a team-oriented project, (because) building any type of proprietary package touches a lot of people within an organization. It's not just marketing (executives) saying we want a graphics change. Chang(ing) a structure is driven by marketing, but it (affects) people in operations, manufacturing and distribution." Origin? "What's most imperative right now is (that) Coke is introducing a contour can ... Prior to (steel contour can test in) Germany (BD 4/28/95), there was a can tested in Canada with an embossed logo on it (BD 9/16/94). We also designed that ... As designers we take manufacturing and operations constraints into account ... We don't do it in isolation." Adds: "You can only push metal so far before it begins to tear, so there are physical limitations of the material which is basic science and physics; the manufacturers bring that to the table."

Team makeup? "There was manufacturing (representation) on the team. There were Coke's own internal operations people (plus) their internal package engineers and marketing (executives). We were charged with the design."

Strategy? "We were trying to develop a proprietary container ... Because there are so many technical unknowns, you didn't want to limit the exploration by saying, `Oh it has to be this.' Consequently we had a variety of concepts on the table (to meet) Coke's marketing objective and (deal with) the technical manufacturing constraints. That yielded a range of solutions, because there's a range of manufacturing opportunities ... As more people get into shaping cans, (the) solutions won't all lie in doing exactly what Coke has done. Different manufacturing technologies beget certain kinds of solutions."

Why a contour can with contour PET's success? "20-oz has done remarkable things for (Coke's) business, there's no question about it. (But) realistically in that business, you have to have a variety of serving sizes ... Cans lend themselves to certain things that bottles don't. They really do."

Will cost of contour can approach straight-wall? "That's certainly the goal ... As you get into any type of innovation, you're going to be on a learning curve. That is going to carry you through a growing knowledge base, which is going to garner efficiency on top of efficiency. You should be able to achieve a cost point (with contour can) which is similar if not better than current technology."

Coke bottlers' views. Executives: 1) "The Coca-Cola Co believes that someday all Coke products should be in proprietary packages." 2) "The day will come when everyone in the world who drinks Coke out of a can will drink it out of a contour can."

Pepsi. BD learns Ball Corp produces prototype shaped can with diagonal swirls. Industry executive says "(Pepsi) may be looking at something like that, but nothing is imminent." Can executive previously tells BD Pepsi "interested in a shaped can" (BD 2/23/96).