Whenever stories about the founding of a company come up, we hear about humble beginnings and mythical garages. But sometimes it all comes down to an accident. Today we travel back to the mid-19th century to get a closer look at John Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola. You might picture him as a ruthless businessman, but it all started with a severe morphine addiction, forced by circumstances, and the desire to overcome it.
From Pharmacy to Battlefield
The story tells us that John Stith Pemberton was born on July 8 in Knoxville, Georgia. At just 19 years old, he became a doctor, combining general medicine, some surgery, and extensive knowledge of chemistry. He married his lifelong wife, Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis, and a year later their only son, Charles Ney Pemberton, was born. Later, he opened a pharmacy in Columbus, but his life changed forever with the arrival of the Civil War.
Pemberton fought for the Confederate army (Third Battalion of the Georgia State Guard Cavalry), reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. On April 16, the Battle of Columbus took place, which some experts consider the last clash of the Civil War. Pemberton suffered a serious saber wound to the chest, and only the heavy use of morphine could keep the pain at bay. Obviously, that led to a strong addiction.
Determined to develop a kind of substitute for morphine, Pemberton experimented with many plants until he created his first drink, "Dr. Tuggle's Compound Syrup of Globe Flower", based on Cephalanthus occidentalis, also known as "Buttonbush". However, his early success was "Pemberton's French Wine Coca", a special wine made with extracts of coca, kola nut, and damiana.
https://old.neoteo.com/la-historia-del-jugo-tang-y-el-mito-de-la-nasa/The wine was promoted as a marvel of medicine, capable of relieving conditions ranging from drug addiction, depression, and alcoholism (an absurd claim, since the wine contained alcohol), to neurasthenia in women. The wine did nothing to cure Pemberton's addiction, but it became extremely popular.
The Accidental Birth of Coca-Cola
The so-called Temperance Movement began to gain traction, and a new wave of laws forced Pemberton to create an alcohol-free version of his drink. For that, he sought the help of his friend and pharmacist, Willis E. Venable, and together they focused on perfecting the formula. During the preparation of a glass of the drink, Pemberton accidentally mixed the base syrup with carbonated water. This discovery led to a change in strategy: the "medicinal wine" became a "soda fountain drink", and marketing expert Frank Mason Robinson gave it the name we all know today: Coca-Cola.
One of the problems Coca-Cola faced at first was that its popularity was slow to arrive. Completely bankrupt (morphine wasn't cheap) and with his health in tatters, Pemberton had no choice but to sell the rights to his drink, keeping a part for his son, convinced that Coca-Cola would become a national beverage. He sold the last portion of the patent for $1,750 to Asa Griggs Candler, later founder of The Coca-Cola Company.
Legacy
John Pemberton died of stomach cancer in August. His son Charles continued selling his father's formula, but also trapped in an opium addiction, he liquidated his remaining rights and passed away six years later.
Today, The Coca-Cola Company employs (directly and indirectly) more than 700,000 people and has a market capitalization exceeding $220 billion.
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