Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Coca Cola is a soda drink that is quite popular with many people. The sweet and pungent taste of soda will certainly give you a different sensation every time you enjoy it.
However, apparently the secret recipe behind the deliciousness of Coca Cola in the past was not thought to have included cocaine. The presence of cocaine in drinks was the idea of John Pemberton, a veteran of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and creator of Coca Cola.
The initial use of this substance began when Pemberton was addicted to morphine. Morphine is a substance often used to reduce pain. Coincidentally at that time, Pemberton suffered a serious chest injury which required him to drink morphine.
Over time, Pemberton’s business idea emerged. He wanted to produce his own morphine and sell it to sick war veterans. Unfortunately, after trying the business failed. Until finally, an interesting idea was created in 1866.
The idea was to mix the pain reliever into the fizzy drinks that people love so much. He was determined to carry out experiments. Wine is mixed with coca leaves which contain cocaine and kola nuts which contain caffeine.
Unexpectedly, many war veterans responded positively to this drink. They no longer need to swallow morphine and only need to drink Pemberton concoction.
“In 1866, John Styth Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia, introduced a coca-enriched soft drink and named it Coca-Cola,” wrote Ernest Small in Top 100 Exotic Food Plantss (2011).
Since then, Coca Cola has been sold for 5 cents per glass, which of course contains cocaine. The first store to sell it was Jacob’s Pharmacy in Georgia, USA. It didn’t take long to gain popularity. Cola Cola immediately became the general public’s favorite drink.
Moreover, writes Michael Blanding in The Coke Machine: The Dirty Truth Behind the World’s Favorite Soft Drink (2010), Pemberton touts Cola Cola as being able to treat headaches, pain and digestive disorders. Practically people like it even though this claim has no research.
In 1888, Pemberton died poor and addicted to cocaine due to drinking too much Coca Cola. After that, the company was bought by a pharmacist, Asa Griggs Candler. Candler then mass produced Cola Cola on a massive scale under the banner of The Cola Cola Company.
The soda drink business was increasingly successful. However, in 1929 there was a change in production.
“That year the cocaine in Cola Cola was removed after 63 years of existence,” wrote Ernest Small.
Later, after the existence of drugs which the company claims was eliminated, sales of Cola Cola skyrocketed. Within a few decades Coca Cola spread outside America.
In 1927, Coca Cola entered Indonesia as a fully imported drink. In Indonesia, which was still called the Dutch East Indies, NV De Water Nederlands Indische Mineral Water Fabrieck (Dutch East Indies Mineral Water Factory) was established in Batavia which produced Coca Cola in 1932.
The factory continued production until 1942 and stopped during the Japanese occupation. After 1945 the factory resumed operations. Coca Cola production in Indonesia then continues to increase until now. Coca Cola is Pepsi Cola’s biggest rival. In Indonesia, competition once existed, but in the last few years Pepsi has left Indonesia.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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