Coke in England

Coca-Cola first arrived in England in 1900, when our president’s son (Charles H. Candler) went “on holiday” to London and brought over a jug of Coca-Cola syrup. A five-gallon order was placed immediately. This was the first time that Coca-Cola had been served outside North America.

Though Coca-Cola was served from the soda fountain, our business did not officially begin in England for years. (In fact, our first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Europe -- in France, not the UK -- opened in 1919.)

The photo to the right is from 1932 from Manchester, England. Those were the days when everyone dressed up to visit their local soft drink emporium!