The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest soft-drink company. It makes products that are sold all over the world, in over 190 countries. Coca-Cola uses unique and interesting advertising to increase sales, and consumers are becoming more and more exposed to their advertising. Coca-Cola sponsored the 1994 World Cup, as well as the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Coca-Cola is well known for their soda Coca-Cola Classic, but they also produce many other products, such as Diet Coke, Caffeine free Diet Coke, Sprite, Nestea, Powerade, Barq's Root Beer, and Fruitopia. The Coca-Cola Company has cornered 41% of the US soft-drink market and 50% of the international soft drink market.

A pharmacist named John S. Pemberton invented Coke in 1886. The small company formed by Pemberton was bought for $2,300 in 1891 by Asa Candler. Candler made the soda available throughout the USA and Canada. Candler then sold the US bottling rights in 1899 to Benjamin Thomas and John White. Thomas and White then created 1,000 bottlers all over the nation, using the famous Coca-Cola bottle design. In 1916, Candler's family sold the company to Ernest Woodruff for $25 million in 1919. That same year, Coca-Cola began issuing stock. In 1941, The Coca-Cola Company adopted "Coke" as its official name. Coca-Cola later added to its enterprise: Minute Maid in 1960, Sprite in 1961, TAB in 1963, and Diet Coke in 1982. In 1981, Robert Woodruff replaced himself with Roberto Goizueta.

NYSE symbol: KO