Which Atlanta businessman founded The Coca-Cola Company?

Asa Griggs Candler founded The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1892.

Candler was an Atlanta businessman and pharmacist who purchased the Coca-Cola formula and brand from inventor John Stith Pemberton in 1888. Pemberton created the original beverage, but Candler turned it into a major commercial enterprise and formally organized the company.

Under Candler’s leadership, Coca-Cola expanded beyond Atlanta through aggressive advertising, syrup sales, and bottling agreements. By 1895, the drink was being distributed throughout the United States. Candler also helped establish the early system in which independent bottlers received territorial rights to produce and sell Coca-Cola.

A common mix-up is confusing the company’s founder with the drink’s inventor. Pemberton developed Coca-Cola, while Candler acquired the formula and built the company around it. Robert Woodruff, another frequently associated name, became president decades later, beginning in 1923.