Who invented the original Coca-Cola formula for the Coca-Cola Company?

John Stith Pemberton invented the original Coca-Cola formula.

Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, created the beverage in 1886. He initially marketed it as a patent medicine and sold the syrup at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta. The drink was mixed with carbonated water before being served.

Pemberton’s original formula changed over time, and the Coca-Cola Company later developed the brand into a global soft-drink business. Asa Griggs Candler acquired the company and its formula rights in the late 1880s, then expanded distribution and advertising on a much larger scale.

Pemberton is therefore the inventor of the beverage, while Candler is strongly associated with building the company. Robert Woodruff later led Coca-Cola for decades and helped internationalize the brand. These different roles explain why several names appear in histories of Coca-Cola’s creation and growth.