FOOD NEWS
The Inspiration Behind The
Shape Of
Coca-Cola's Iconic
Original Bottle
By Brian Boone
Coca-Cola has become one of the most recognized and beloved global brands. At one time, Coca-Cola came in glass bottles, designed and executed with distinctive originality as singular as every other element of Coke.
Executives at Coca-Cola looked to improve the recognizability of their product and tasked its contractors to create a singular bottle design, recognizable not just by look but by feel (if a customer was fishing through an icebox looking for a drink). In 1916, the Root Glass Company devised a curvy bottle prototype resembling and inspired by the shape of a cocoa bean.
It resulted from a misunderstanding, as the glass maker mixed up cocoa with coca, an ingredient once present in Coca-Cola's formula. Regardless, the "contour bottle" design remained a part of the product's branding for decades, with the design patented in 1977, and you're very unlikely to mix this design up with that of another drink even to this day.