Source: Mission of The Coca-Cola Company

To refresh the world.

To inspire moments of optimism and happiness.

To create value and make a difference.

Vision

The six “Ps” of the company vision statement highlight Coca-Cola’s purpose and desired future objectives.

· People. Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.

· Portfolio. Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people’s desires and needs.

· Partners. Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers; together we create mutual, enduring value.

· Planet. Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities.

· Profit. Maximize long-term return to shareholders while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.

· Productivity. Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization.1

Coca-Cola is a soft drink brand that is recognized worldwide. In fact, the drink is one of the most recognized corporate logos and the brand is sold in over 200 countries through 250 bottlers throughout the world. According to the company website, Coca-Cola has the world’s largest beverage distribution system and is the no. 1 provider of sparkling and still beverages. It has over $20 billion sales brands, and over 1.9 billion servings of Coke are consumed a day.

The Coca-Cola story began in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886 when pharmacist John Pemberton was experimenting with a recipe that he later mixed with carbonated water and began to sell at his drugstore. Two years after its invention, Pemberton sold his secret formula to a businessman by the name of Asa Candler, who formed a corporation to bottle and distribute the trendy drink. He later sold the rights to two other businessmen who wanted to bottle the drink and enhance distribution. Candler sold syrup that his company produced to these distributors, but not his secret formula. They simply mixed the syrup with carbonated water and bottled it. From there, the product became a household name as more people began to take Coca-Cola home to enjoy.

As with many successful products, competitors soon emerged. To ensure that people could tell the original from these wannabes, the distributors created the trademarked contour bottle in 1916 so that customers would recognize the original product.

Candler ultimately sold his company in 1919 to a group of investors with Robert Woodruff as the president. The new group wanted to make Coca-Cola available anytime and anyplace. To accomplish this, the new company started adding bottling plants all over the world. Today, Coca-Cola owns nearly 500 trademarked brands including popular products like Dannon, Campbells, Evian, Nestea, Bacardi Mixers, Powerade, Dr. Pepper, Minute Maid, and many others. Interbrand ranked the company as the world’s third most valuable brand in 2015.

Coca-Cola has a long history of promoting its products while giving back to the world. Some examples of this follow:

The company is the sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1928.

In 1943, the company operated an ammunition loading plant in Alabama to supply ammunition to U.S. troops in World War II.

To assist in accomplishing its vision, the company established the Coca-Cola Foundation in 1984. This entity focuses on helping and giving back to communities worldwide. Some of the issues supported in various countries include water stewardship (providing safe, clean drinking water), lifestyle/behavioral change programs (e.g., nutrition, exercise, and behavior modification), recycling, and education.

In 2001, the company contributed $12 million in disaster relief following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Between 2008 and 2010, the Coca-Cola foundation and company donated almost $700 million to numerous causes.

In 2010, following a devastating earthquake, the company launched the Haiti Hope Project to help develop a sustainable mango industry in that country.