Nearly each and every one of us has had a can of Coca-Cola once in our lives. While we were busy sipping on the smooth, sugary beverage, there were plenty of people out there trying to mimic the recipe and make their own copycat version of the world-famous drink. Plenty of people have tried, but none have prevailed and Coca-Cola still maintains their secret recipe.
But, technically speaking, the company never put a patent on their recipe. It might seem like a risky move, but they have a good reason for it.
Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by John Pemberton. Since then, it quickly climbed the charts as the most popular soda, raking in billions of dollars every year. However, the famed drink wasn’t an exception to declining soda sales, especially now that people are turning to healthier drinks like water or smoothies. 2015 was by far their best year in recent findings – they made $83.84 billion whereas they only made $79.96 billion so far in 2018. Obviously, $70 billion is just a tad bit more than traditional workers make in a year, but that doesn’t mean the company’s sales aren’t dropping.
Even though they’re susceptible to the decline in sales, the company also knows how to keep their fans interested. Rumors surrounding their recipe have been around for years and though many have tried to emulate it, all have failed. Given that the company never patented their recipe, it seems odd that someone hasn’t snatched it up for their own and started making their own bottles.
But, Coca-Cola has a very good reason for not patenting their recipe. The reason why there’s no patent on it is to ensure the recipe remains undisclosed. A patent is only good for 20 years, which means that after that, the recipe becomes available to the public. The original formula was patented in 1893, but the recipe changed over the course of time and it was never patented again. As such, it remains a mystery. According to the company, only two senior executives have the recipe, but their names are unknown.
Not to mention, maintaining an air of mystery around a recipe will always have people talking, which in turn will always have people interested in your brand.
So, while we may always love the taste of Coca-Cola, we’ll probably need to put aside our dreams of ever finding out what the true recipe really is.
