Coca-Cola Recipe Could Have Been Yours – For $15 Million

One of the biggest secrets in the beverage industry is the Coca-Cola secret formula. One antique dealer, Cliff Kluge, claims to have found the recipe, and says he'll share it with the world –, for a small fortune.

Kluge started the bid for the typewritten and yellowed document at $5 million (don't worry, those who didn't want to wait out the bidding process could "Buy Now" at $15 million).

A 15-year-old decided to go for it, and place a $15 million dollar bid on the item. He was given three whole days to come up with the money, but to no one's surprise, wasn't able to pay Kluge.

Under the description of the item on the bidding page, which is no longer for sale, Kluge states ,  "There is no doubt (at least in my mind) that whoever typed the letter had seen the original recipe for Coca Cola.," He continued, "Looking at the recipe, it certainly is a lot more complicated than I could have ever imagined."

Complicated it must be, for Coca-Cola is one of the most popular drink in the world. NPR's "This American Life" claimed to have the recipe for Coca-Cola back in 2011, even stating that the earliest batches of Coca-Cola contained cocaine. The recipe is available on the NPR site.

Question and comments below the bid ranged from suggestions for Kluge to start his own soda company, to inquiries about whether he found other recipes of Mr. Pibb or Mountain Dew. Today, there is an update on the status of the recipe sale. Kluge mentions on the page how interesting it has been watching the eBay bid unfold through the media, but the page also states that formula has been sold (to whom, we do not know), and the listing has ended.

According to Coca-Cola's recent statement in response to eBay post, the recipe is in fact in Georgia, but not in Kluge's home. The company stated, "The real formula is safely tucked away in a vault at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta."