John Stith Pemberton

John Stith Pemberton

• Born on January 8, 1831.
• Attended the University of Georgia
• At the age of 19, he was licensed to practice pharmacy

John Stith Pemberton

• Served in Civil War as Lieutenant Colonel
• Wounded in battle and became addicted to morphine
• 1872: became trustee of Atlanta Medical college
• Began looking for substitute for morphine addiction 

John Stith Pemberton

• 1885- created his French Wine Nerve Tonic
• Initially sold as a patent medicine
• 1st sold at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta Georgia
• 1st advertisements ran on May 29, 1886

Cures of coca-Cola

• Addiction to morphine
• Dysepsia
• Neurasthenia
• Headache
• Impotence

Coca-cola

• 1886: Prohibition passed in Atlanta
• Pemberton creates non-alcoholic version called Coca-Cola
• Called the "Ideal temperance drink"

John Stith Pemberton

• gradually sold portions of business to different partners
• 1891: Asa Candler gains sole ownership of company
• Coca-Cola becomes trademark of USPTO Jan. 1, 1893

Asa Candler

• gained sole ownership of company
• formed Georgia Corporation
• Corporation called Coca-Cola Company
• Coca-Cola is drunk in every state and territory of US

John Stith Pemberton

• Pemberton died August 16, 1888 (Age 57) 
• Is buried in the Linwood Cemetery in Columbus Georgia 
• Was married to Ann Eliza Clifford Lewis
• Had 1 child: Charles Ney Pemberton

Pemberton as an innovator

• He changed the formula for the Nerve Tonic
• Took out the wine so that it would fit with Prohibition
• Still gave everyone the same great taste they loved

Pemberton as a risk taker

• Changed the formula not knowing if people would like it
• Gradually sold portions of the business to other investors

pemberton as the spark plug

• Turned idea for Prohibition drink into reality
• changed wine tonic to alcohol-free Coca-cola

pemberton as the strategist

• decided to change formula to keep his business running
• decided to expand the company by selling it to his investors

ambition

• motivated to find substitute to morphine addiction
• gained degrees in pharmacy to aid in creating formula

Self-confidence

• Pemberton said that the drink could cure many things.
• confident that people would buy it as a patent medicine.

Willingness to take risks

• Sold formula to investors to expand company

energy and self-discipline

• Pemberton had to work through pain
• had been addicted to morphine and was wounded during war

perseverance

• experienced setback when Prohibition started
• his formula had alcohol, so he had to change it

problem-solving ability

• substituted alcohol with sweet syrup
• eliminated the need for alcohol
• made Coca-Cola the "Ideal temperance drink"

organizational skills

• started small, then grew
• branched out to include investors and a company

ability to motivate others

• worked in one of "the most splendid laboratory in the country"