Who was the inventor of Coca-Cola?

The inventor of Coca-Cola was Dr. John Stith Pemberton. A pharmacist and chemist in Atlanta, Georgia, Pemberton developed the drink in 1886 after experimenting with coca-leaf extracts, kola nuts, sweeteners, and flavorings. The first Coca-Cola was sold at Jacob’s Pharmacy for five cents a glass and was initially marketed as a patent medicine and “temperance drink.”

Pemberton’s work was influenced by his earlier French Wine Coca, an alcoholic coca-based tonic. After Atlanta adopted temperance legislation, he created a nonalcoholic alternative. His bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, named the beverage Coca-Cola and designed its distinctive Spencerian-script logo.

A common mix-up is crediting Asa Griggs Candler, who did not invent Coca-Cola. Candler acquired rights to the formula and brand in the late 1880s and built the company through aggressive marketing. Pemberton remained the original inventor, although the recipe and business changed substantially after his death in 1888. The drink’s name refers to its original coca-leaf and kola-nut ingredients.