25 Surprising Facts About Coca-Cola You Might Not Know

Posted by , Updated on December 7, 2023

Chances are you’re familiar with Coca-Cola. Most people are. After all, the iconic carbonated soft drink is the most famous, popular and widely distributed American product on Earth! But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean that we know everything there is to know about it. From surprising Coca-Cola health facts to facts about Coca-Cola history, these are 25 surprising facts about Coca-Cola you might not know.

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25

More than 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola are consumed all over the world every single day.

drinking cokeSource: coca-cola.co.uk
24

There are only 2 countries where Coca-Cola is not sold – Cuba and North Korea.

Coca-ColaSource: Business Insider
23

Coca-Cola once contained cocaine. One of the drink´s main ingredients is coca leaves which the drug is made from. It was not until 1929 when the substance was eliminated from the drink.

coca leavesSource: therichest.com
22

Coca-Cola was originally invented as a medicine by a pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta in 1886.

John S. PembertonSource: worldofcoca-cola.com
21

Coca Cola contains very strong acid, which is why it can be used to clean things. Its effectiveness can actually be compared to that of chemical household cleaners.

Coca ColaSource: factslegend.org
20

The Coca-Cola company has an incredible product portfolio of almost 3,900 different beverages.

coke productsSource: http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/about-us/coca-cola-beverages-products/
19

The Coca-Cola brand is worth an estimated $74 billion - more than Budweiser, Pepsi, Starbucks and Red Bull combined, making it the world's third most valuable brand.

Coca-Cola headquartersSource: quora.com; http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/infographic-coca-cola-at-a-glance
18

Due to the enormous amounts of water it needs for production, Coca-Cola has caused water shortages in some regions where supplies are scarce, such as India, Latin America and Africa.

Coca-Cola factorySource: theguardian.com
17

The word “Coca-Cola” is the second-most understood word in the world, behind "OK."

Coca-Cola in AfricaSource: businessinsider.in
16

One 355 ml (12 oz) can of Coca-Cola contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is approximately the amount of sugar recommended for an adult person for the entire day.

Coca-Cola canSource: curejoy.com
15

The first servings of Coca-Cola were sold for 5 cents per glass.

Coca-ColaSource: worldofcoca-cola.com
14

Diet Coke was introduced in 1982. It soon became the world´s most popular diet drink.

Diet CokeSource: coca-cola.co.uk
13

All the Coca-Cola ever produced would fill a giant reservoir measuring 30 km (18.6 mi) long, 15 km (9.3 mi) wide and 200 m (656 ft) deep. Half a billion people could swim in it.

Coca-Cola cansSource: beautyandtips.com
12

Hidden inside a vault in the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, the legendary recipe for Coca-Cola is one of the most-closely guarded and best-kept secrets in the world.

Coca-Cola vaultSource: worldofcoca-cola.com
11

When Coca-Cola entered the Chinese Market in 1927, Chinese characters that were used to give it the same pronunciation “koka-kola” actually meant “wax-flattened mare” in Chinese.

Chinese Coca-Cola Source: therichest.com; http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/shanghai-bottling-history
10

Coca-Cola once ran a campaign against tap water as it created a program that would teach restaurant staff how to dissuade customers from ordering tap water and instead, go for more profitable drinks.

Water from tapSource: huffingtonpost.com
9

On July 12, 1985, Coca-Cola became the first soft drink to ever be consumed in outer space as astronauts tested the “Coca-Cola Space Can” aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Space Shuttle ChallengerSource: coca-colacompany.com
8

Around the world, the average person drinks a Coca Cola product every four days

Coca-ColaSource: Businessinsider.com
7

The famous Coca-Cola logo was created and hand-written by Frank Robinson, a bookkeeper of Coca Cola´s inventor J. S. Pemberton.

Coca-Cola logoSource: businessinsider.com
6

The unique design of Coca-Cola bottles was created by glass plant workers from Indiana. The design is based on the shape of a cocoa seed, an ingredient they wrongly believed to be in the beverage. The unique contour design is still used today.

design of Coca-Cola bottleSource: msn.com
5

To make 1 liter (33.8 ounces) of product, Coca-Cola uses 2.7 liter (91.3 ounces) of water. In 2004, the company used 283 billion liters (75 billion gallons) of water.

line of Coca-Cola bottlesSource: theguardian.com
4

Never missing any advertising opportunity, Coca-Cola was the first-ever Olympic sponsor as the company sponsored the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.

coca cola olympicsSource: coca-colacompany.com
3

Coca-Cola currently has over 105 million fans on Facebook, making it one of the most popular brands on social media.

Facebook likeSource: facebook.com
2

In 1888, two years after it was invented, American businessman Asa Griggs Candler bought Coca-Cola from J. S. Pemberton for just $550.

Asa Griggs CandlerSource: coca-colacompany.com
1

If every drop of Coke ever produced were placed in 237-ml (8-oz) bottles and laid end-to-end, the bottles would reach the Moon and back more than 2,000 times.

Coca-ColaSource: businessinsider.com


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