This May sees Coca-Cola celebrate its 125th Anniversary. On May 8th (the Founders Day), The Coca-Cola Company will mark the date that Coca-Cola was first sold in Atlanta, Georgia in 1886 and to this day, the secret formula remains a closely guarded secret within the vaults of a bank in Atlanta. The brand’s most iconic asset, the famous glass ‘Contour’ bottle was created in 1915 and has become a design classic. The contour bottle was designed to be so distinctive, that it could be recognised in the dark.

The business started small, with a modest nine drinks served per day, yet today consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the beverage at a rate of 1.6 billion servings a day. According to 2010’s figures, the average person in Great Britain consumed 204 servings of Coca-Cola throughout the year. In fact, if all the Coca-Cola ever produced were to cascade down Niagara Falls at its normal rate of 1.6 million gallons per second, it would flow for nearly 83 hours.

The brand has strong cultural relevance and has become woven into both history and popular culture throughout the 20th century. From Andy Warhol’s iconic pop art interpretations, through to setting up production in Europe during World War II to ensure American troops were refreshed. Coca-Cola advertising even helped shape the modern image of Santa and what’s more, it is documented that “Coca-Cola” is the second most widely understood term in the world, after “okay.”