Cola Wars

The so-called cola wars began shortly after Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, although two popular regional drinks—Moxie in Massachusetts and Dr Pepper in Texas—actually preceded Coke by a year. In the 1894 corporate report for the Coca-Cola Company, Asa Candler, who made a success of the beverage after Pemberton died, complained of various “bogus substitutes” (Pendergrast, 2000, p. 62). The imitators were led by J. C. Mayfield, a former Pemberton partner, who sold Yum Yum and Koke, and his former wife, Diva Brown, who sold My-Coca. Each claimed to have the original Coca-Cola formula.