On This Day
NEW COKE "Catch the Wave"
On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Company introduced reformulated Coca-Cola, often referred to as "new Coke," marking the first formula change in 99 years. The company didn't set out to create the firestorm of consumer protest that ensued; instead, The Coca-Cola Company intended to re-energize its Coca-Cola brand and the cola category in its largest market, the United States.
The outrage of millions of Americans didn’t take long to sink in, and not all that much longer to be redressed. The return of original formula Coca-Cola on July 11, 1985, put the cap on 79 days of "New Coke."
A Little Rockford Coca Cola History
The Rockford Coca-Cola Bottling Company
M. N. Nelin decided to start in the bottling business in 1896. By 1912, he moved the company into a modern brick building that could accommodate his peak days of 500 cases total production.
The first "Pause & Refresh" nook established in Rockford department stores. This installation was made in 1936 at the Chas. V. Weise Company.
A page from the Rockford Coca-Cola Bottling Company publication The Spotlight, Anniversary Issue: March 1945.
Content of the Rockford History is from the Rockford Library, Local History Database.