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Koca Nola History
Prior to the enormous
success achieved by the Coca-Cola Company, nearly all sodas sold in the
United States were manufactured by private individuals and not known by
brand names. Most sodas of the mid-to-late 19th and early 20th centuries
were rarely marketed outside the seller's region or state.
The Coca-Cola Company became a huge success in a matter of just a few years thanks to a powerhouse advertising program that boosted sales of the beverage to national levels. Consumers couldn't pick up a magazine or newspaper without seeing the name Coca-Cola. Signs and posters proliferated on the fronts of stores and other public places. Other soda water manufacturers were quick to take notice of the advertising blitz and realized that if their drinks were to succeed in the marketplace, they had better take action, and quickly.
MACON / BOTTLING WORKS / Koca Nola / MACON, GA. Hutchinson bottle (Photo: Charles David Head)
Probably the most popular idea was to manufacture a copycat soda. By 1908, Rye-Ola, Celery-Cola, Taka-Cola, Koca Nola, and many others with similar names gave consumers a confusing choice. Many companies did not have the money to spend on national advertising and soon disappeared, but while they were in operation, they may have had a negative impact on Coca-Cola sales.
To avoid direct competition with Coca-Cola, many bottling plants sold their copycat products in small towns where Coke had yet to establish a foothold. One exception was Koca Nola, a brand and company founded in Atlanta, headquarters then and now of the Coca-Cola Company. The new drink became successful under the guidance of Thomas H. Austin. In the spring of 1904 Austin established the Koca Nola Company offices at 822 Empire Building, and the bottling works at 108 Edgewood Avenue.
By the spring of 1905, Austin had sold franchises in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Macon and Augusta, Georgia, Gallatin, Tennessee, Lumberton, North Carolina, and Montgomery, Alabama. The company's first drinks were delivered in Hutchinson bottles and later in the increasingly popular crown top bottles. It is strongly suspected that several other early Koca Nola franchises used Hutchinson bottles, but so far the only known embossed Koca Nola Hutchinsons are from Macon, Philadephia, and Jacksonville. Since no embossed Hutchinsons are known to exist from the parent Koca Nola Company in Atlanta, it is thought they utilized the new crown top method of bottling from the beginning of the firm. Some early franchises used Hutchinsons to market Koca Nola, while others utilized their stock company bottles.
Thomas Austin registered the illustrated Koca Nola paper label with the office of Georgia's Secretary of State June 20, 1905. This diamond-shaped label reads "Bottled by Authority of Koca Nola Co., Atlanta, GA.," and claimed "The Great Tonic Drink" (was) "Delicious (and) Dopeless."
As he continued to achieve success, Austin focused on expanding his company by soliciting drugstores and bottling works across the nation to market Koca Nola. He publicly emphasized that Koca Nola was "dopeless," most likely a thinly disguised shot at Coca-Cola, his chief rival in the soda water business. By 1909 Austin had sold Koca Nola franchises in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia (and perhaps as many as 13 other states), the District of Columbia, Mexico, Cuba, and Bermuda. While most of the franchises bottled Koca Nola, a few only purchased the syrup to sell the drink at soda fountains and in restaurants. Regardless of whether Koca Nola was served in bottles or by the glass, it cost only 5¢ per drink, and apparently had a little extra "kick" that acted as a pick-me-up on depressing days.
Confirmed Koca Nola franchises are highlighted in red, suspected franchises are highlighted in yellow. Map courtesy of www.nationalatlas.gov.
1906-1909 was the most successful era for Koca Nola in part because Austin borrowed a page from the marketing strategies of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Hires Root Beer, and gave away free merchandise advertising his soda. Merchandise from the company's Premium Plan catalog included calendars, match safes, watch fobs, lady's face powder boxes, pocket mirrors, thermometers, and trade cards. These items featured Koca Nola inscriptions and are rare collectibles today.
Just when it seemed that Koca Nola would sweep the country, catastrophe struck from the U. S. District Attorney's office. On July 3, 1909, the U. S. District Attorney filed charges against the company claiming that Koca Nola syrup contained cocaine. Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture had intercepted a one-gallon jug of Koca Nola syrup shipped from the Atlanta Headquarters to a destination somewhere in the Anacostia section of the District of Columbia. The jug's label declared the contents were "Delicious, Dopeless Koca Nola, The Great Tonic Drink," and had been bottled under the regulations of the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906. Tests by government chemists showed that the syrup contained cocaine. Austin vigorously denied the charge, citing an independent analysis of the syrup at other labs, including the Georgia State facility "who pronounced our sirip (sic) to be entirely free from cocaine." During the trial, however, an expert witness for the Department of Agriculture testified that "drinkers of Koca Nola would soon acquire the cocaine habit and become wrecks." Judge Newman agreed with this and other testimony and found Austin guilty on four counts (each carrying a $25.00 fine), including failing to declare the presence of cocaine, and adulteration.
This setback for Austin was the beginning of the end for his Koca Nola Company. Once word was out that his soda had cocaine in it, consumers quit buying it and one-by-one the franchises went out of business due to declining sales. The Koca Nola Company filed for bankruptcy November 24, 1910, but managed to hang around until 1918 before fading from the scene.
Interestingly, James Esposito of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, continued to market Koca Nola soda for several years after the demise of the Atlanta home office. It is as yet unknown where he purchased his syrup. Esposito had been in the soda water manufacturing business for a full decade before he obtained his Koca Nola franchise in 1905. Koca Nola was one of his best sellers, if not the best.
Here's an incredible assortment of Esposito's Hutchinson bottles. The embossed lettering has been painted to make it easier to read. (Photo: R. J. Brown)
Confirmed Koca Nola Franchises
All available information concerning each of the confirmed franchises will be included when the Koca Nola book is published. We desperately need additional information you might have about these bottlers - years of operation, owners' names, addresses, bottling plant photos, photos of bottles, copies of advertisements, bottle maker marks, etc.
Alabama
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Camden: Farmer's Ice & Oil Company
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Headland: Headland Bottling Works
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Montgomery: Koca Nola Bottling Works
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New Decatur: Koca Nola Bottling Works
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Samson: Samson Bottling Works
This rare aqua crown top is embossed REGISTERED / KOCA NOLA BOTTLING WORKS / Koca Nola / MONTGOMERY, ALA. (Photo: Eddie Bellamy)
Connecticut
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New Haven: Koca Nola Bottling Works
Florida
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Jacksonville: Florida Koca-Nola Bottling Company
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Jasper: Koca-Nola Bottling Works
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Pensacola: Pensacola Bottling Works
Georgia
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Ashburn: Ashburn Bottling Works
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Atlanta: Koca Nola Bottling Company
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Augusta: Dixie Carbonating Company, a subsidiary of the Augusta Brewing Co.
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Bagley (near Americus): B. I. Taylor & Co.
Barnesville: Barnesville Bottling Works
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Columbus: Koca Nola Bottling Company
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Dalton: North Georgia Bottling Works
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Donalsonville: Donalsonville Bottling Works (Koca Nola is misspelled KACO NOLA and the town's name is misspelled Donaldsonville on their crown top bottles)
This rare clear crown top is embossed REGISTERED / ELBERTON BOTTLING WORKS / Koca Nola / ELBERTON, GA. (Photo: Jerry McElreath)
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Elberton: Elberton Bottling Works
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Fairburn: Fairburn Bottling Works
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Griffin: Griffin Ice Works
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Hartwell: Nabors Bottling Works
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Macon: Macon Bottling Works
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McDonough: McDonough Bottling Works
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Milledgeville: Yancey's Bottling Works
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Newnan: Koca Nola Bottling Company
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Rome: Koca Nola Bottling Works
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Savannah: Globe Bottling Works
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Talbotton: Talbotton Bottling Company
Illinois
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Rockford: Hugo E. Kling
- Springfield: W. W. Clutter
Indiana
- Crawfordsville: Vaughn & Casey Company
Iowa
- Missouri Valley: G. S. Moore
Kentucky
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Burkesville: Koca Nola Bottling Company (Tanner Otley)
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Somerset: Koca Nola
Bottling Company of Kentucky
Louisiana
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Alexander City: Radney Bros.
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Franklin: Douglass & Black Bros.
Maine
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Bath: Bath Bottling Company
Maryland
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Frederick: City Bottling House (W. H. Shipley)
Mississippi
This rare aqua crown top is embossed CRYSTAL SPRING BOTTLING WKS. / Koca Nola (in script) / CRYSTAL SPRING, MISS. (Photo courtesy of Justin McClure)
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Crystal Spring: Crystal Spring Bottling Works
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Greenwood: Koca Nola Bottling Company
- Macon: Macon Ice & Bottling Company
Missouri
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St. Louis: Charles A. Hautz
New Jersey
- Bridgeton:
Moses Braunstein
- Camden: N. Masinton
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Elizabeth: Koca Nola Bottling Company
This beautiful amber crown top is from ELIZABETH / Koca Nola Co. / NEW JERSEY. (Photo: Bill Baab)
New York
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Brooklyn: Espo Bottling Company
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Sag Harbor, Long Island: The Emmel Bottling Works
North Carolina
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Charlotte: Brannon Carbonating Company
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Gastonia: Koca Nola Bottling Works
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Hendersonville: Crescent Carbonating Company
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High Point: Koca Nola Bottling Works
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Louisburg: Louisburg Bottling Works
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Lumberton: Lumberton Bottling Works
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Marion: Marion Bottling Works
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New London: New London Bottling Works
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Old Fort: Owen Carbonating Company
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Rutherfordton: Piedmont Bottling Works
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Shelby: Shelby Carbonating and Bottling Works
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Tarboro: Koca Nola Bottling Works
Ohio
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Kenton: Brecheisen Bottling Company
Pennsylvania
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Mount Carmel: Star Bottling Works
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Philadelphia: James Esposito Soda Bottling Works (click to read "Proud To Be An American," an article about this bottler)
This rare, aqua, crown top quart is embossed J. ESPOSITO / Koca Nola / (American flag) / 706 FULTON ST / PHILADA. / REGISTERED (near base). (Photo: Bill Baab)
Rhode Island
- Newport: Peter Faerber
South Carolina
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Fairfax: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- St. Matthews: St. Matthews Bottling Works
Tennessee
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Columbia: Koca Nola Bottling Company
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Gallatin: Koca Nola Bottling Works
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Johnson City: Johnson City Bottling Works
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LaFollette: B&McK Carbonating Company
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Maryville Bottling Works Company
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New River: Keen Bottling Company (click to read an article about the Keens; updated June 9 & 13, 2011)
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Oliver Springs: Oliver Springs Bottling Works
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Oneida: Koca Nola Bottling Company
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South Pittsburg: Keen Bottling Company
Texas
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Tyler: Union Bottling Works
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Waco: Big 4 Bottling Works
Virginia
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Bristol: The Holston Bottling Company
- Newport News: Newport News Bottling Company
- Patrick Springs: Patrick Springs Bottling Works
Washington
- North Yakima: Yakima Mineral Springs Company
West Virginia
- Berkeley Springs (Bath): Berkeley Springs Bottling Works
District of Columbia
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Anacostia: Koca Nola Bottling Works
Mexico
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Puebla: Fabrica Coca Nola
Cuba
- Havana: A. R. de Beche
Bermuda
- Hamilton: John Barritt & Son
The following advertisement is from the February 5, 1909 National Bottlers' Gazette:
Suspected Koca Nola Franchises
Arkansas
Delaware
Indian Territory
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Wisconsin