Coca-Cola is an iconic global brand enjoyed by millions of people every day. It is the largest player in the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage industry, with a massive worldwide presence in over 206 countries. What started as a medicinal drink has become the world’s most popular soft drink.
The company’s best-selling product is its original trademark Coca-Cola, with nearly 800 million servings consumed daily. However, what makes Coca-Cola utterly unique is its closely guarded secret formula. The formula for the drink is a mystery, and the ingredients listed are purposely vague, with only natural flavors left unspecified.
Coca-Cola ships its secret concentrate to over 900 bottling plants around the world, where it is transformed into the finished drink by adding water, sweetener, and carbonation. Let’s take a look at the fascinating manufacturing process and learn how bottlers have to ensure that the Coca-Cola they produce tastes the same as that made by other bottlers worldwide, despite variations in water and sweetener sources. The challenge of maintaining a consistent flavor profile across the globe makes Coca-Cola an intriguing beverage brand.
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Top image: Old bottles of Coca Cola. Source: Mateus S. Figueiredo / CC BY-SA 4.0.
