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.
Probably the most popular idea was to manufacture a copycat
soda. By 1908, Gay-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 February, 1905, Austin established the Koca Nola Company
offices at 822 Empire Building, and the bottling works at 58
Edgewood Avenue.
By the spring of 1905, Austin had sold franchises in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Macon and Augusta, Georgia,
Montgomery, Alabama, and Jacksonville, Florida. 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 Atlanta, Macon,
Philadephia, and Jacksonville.
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, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky,
Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and
the District of Columbia (and perhaps as many as 13 other
states). 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.
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, and thermometers. 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, charges were filed against the company claiming
Koca Nola syrup contained cocaine. They also charged the
syrup was mis-branded because it failed to carry a label
statement specifying the amount of cocaine present, a
violation of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.
Austin denied the government's charges, citing an
independent chemical analysis of the syrup in his defense.
Federal authorities disagreed and after a brief trial the Koca
Nola Company was found guilty of failing to declare the
presence of cocaine and adulteration. This setback for Austin
was the beginning of the end for his Koca Nola Company, for
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. The Koca Nola Company filed for bankruptcy on
November 24, 1910.
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. In 1912 he was sued by
the Coca-Cola Company to prevent him from using the Koca
Nola name. After a judge ruled against Esposito, he changed
his product's name to "Espo Soda," but the judge disallowed
that name too. The judge ultimately allowed the soda to be
named "Primo Cola," though, apparently not realizing the
word "primo" means "first" in Italian (the Esposito family
were Italian immigrants). So, with its new Primo Cola name,
Koca Nola continued to be sold for a few more years thru the
shrewd leadership of James Esposito.
CONFIRMED KOCA NOLA FRANCHISES
All available information concerning each of these franchises
will be included when the Koca Nola book is published. We
are desperately in need of additional information you might
have about any of these bottlers - years of operation,
owners' names, addresses, bottling plant photos, photos of
bottles, copies of advertisements, bottle maker marks, etc.
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
District of Columbia
SUSPECTED KOCA NOLA FRANCHISES
Illinois
Indian Territory
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Wisconsin
© 2008, Heads-Up Publications
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.
Probably the most popular idea was to manufacture a copycat
soda. By 1908, Gay-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 February, 1905, Austin established the Koca Nola Company
offices at 822 Empire Building, and the bottling works at 58
Edgewood Avenue.
By the spring of 1905, Austin had sold franchises in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Macon and Augusta, Georgia,
Montgomery, Alabama, and Jacksonville, Florida. 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 Atlanta, Macon,
Philadephia, and Jacksonville.
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, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky,
Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and
the District of Columbia (and perhaps as many as 13 other
states). 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.
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, and thermometers. 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, charges were filed against the company claiming
Koca Nola syrup contained cocaine. They also charged the
syrup was mis-branded because it failed to carry a label
statement specifying the amount of cocaine present, a
violation of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.
Austin denied the government's charges, citing an
independent chemical analysis of the syrup in his defense.
Federal authorities disagreed and after a brief trial the Koca
Nola Company was found guilty of failing to declare the
presence of cocaine and adulteration. This setback for Austin
was the beginning of the end for his Koca Nola Company, for
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. The Koca Nola Company filed for bankruptcy on
November 24, 1910.
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. In 1912 he was sued by
the Coca-Cola Company to prevent him from using the Koca
Nola name. After a judge ruled against Esposito, he changed
his product's name to "Espo Soda," but the judge disallowed
that name too. The judge ultimately allowed the soda to be
named "Primo Cola," though, apparently not realizing the
word "primo" means "first" in Italian (the Esposito family
were Italian immigrants). So, with its new Primo Cola name,
Koca Nola continued to be sold for a few more years thru the
shrewd leadership of James Esposito.
CONFIRMED KOCA NOLA FRANCHISES
All available information concerning each of these franchises
will be included when the Koca Nola book is published. We
are desperately in need of additional information you might
have about any of these bottlers - years of operation,
owners' names, addresses, bottling plant photos, photos of
bottles, copies of advertisements, bottle maker marks, etc.
Alabama
- Camden: Farmer's Ice & Oil Company
- Headland: Headland Bottling Works
- Montgomery: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- Samson: Samson Bottling Works
Florida
- Jacksonville: Florida Koca-Nola Bottling Company
- Pensacola: Pensacola Bottling Works
Georgia
- Ashburn: Ashburn Bottling Works
- Atlanta: Koca Nola Bottling Company
- Augusta: Dixie Carbonating Company, a subsidiary of the
Augusta Brewing Company - Bagley (near Americus): B. I. Taylor & Co.
- Columbus: Koca Nola Bottling Company
- Donalsonville: Donalsonville Bottling Works (Koca Nola is
misspelled KACO NOLA and the town's name is
misspelled Donaldsonville on their crown top bottles) - Elberton: Elberton Bottling Works
- Hartwell: Nabors Bottling Works
- Macon: Macon Bottling Works
- Milledgeville: Yancey's Bottling Works
- Newnan: Koca Nola Bottling Company
- Rome: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- Savannah: Globe Bottling Works
- Talbotton: Talbotton Bottling Company
Kentucky
- Somerset: Koca Nola Bottling Company of Kentucky
Maryland
- Frederick: City Bottling House (W. H. Shipley)
Mississippi
- Crystal Springs: The Crystal Springs Bottling Works
Missouri
- St. Louis: Charles A. Hautz
New Jersey
- Elizabeth: Koca Nola Bottling Company
North Carolina
- Fort Mountain: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- Gastonia: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- High Point: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- Louisburg: Louisburg Bottling Works
- Marion: Marion Bottling Works
- Mt. Airy: Koca Nola Bottling Works
- New London: New London Bottling Works
- Old Fort: Owen Carbonating Company
Ohio
- Kenton: Brecheisen Bottling Company
Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia: James Esposito Soda Bottling Works
South Carolina
- Fairfax: Koca Nola Bottling Works
Tennessee
- Gallatin: Koca Nola Bottling Works
LaFollette: B&McK Carbonating Company
Maryville: Maryville Bottling Works Company
New River and South Pittsburg: Keen Bottling Company
Oneida: Koca Nola Bottling Company
Texas
- Waco: Big 4 Bottling Works
Virginia
- Bristol: The Holston Bottling Company
District of Columbia
- Anacostia: Koca Nola Bottling Works
SUSPECTED KOCA NOLA FRANCHISES
Illinois
Indian Territory
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Wisconsin
© 2008, Heads-Up Publications
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Heads-Up Publications Charles David Head, Prop'r.
| KOCA NOLA HISTORY |
| MACON / BOTTLING WORKS / Koca Nola / MACON, GA. Hutchinson bottle |
| 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) |
| Advertisement from Montgomery, Alabama City Directory, 1906 |
| National Bottlers' Gazette Koca Nola advertisement, February 5, 1909 (Note the reference to a "Sockdoliger" Extract Premium Plan that did not cost bottlers "one penny directly or indirectly") |
| This beautiful amber crown top is from ELIZABETH / Koca Nola Co. / NEW JERSEY. (Photo: Dennis Smith) |
