Vintage Reproduction Coca Cola Fridges

Coca-cola has had a long, long history, stretching way back to 1886, when it was sold as a medicine for five cents a pop. As far as carbonated drinks go, no other liquid has such phenomenal success all the way along the llne; coke is now sold in more than 200 countries worldwide and its signature red and white label is recognised from as far a field as the jungles of the Amazon to the native tribes of New Guinea.

The fizzy brown liquid was invented by Dr. John Pemberton, an American pharmicist who experimented with various formulas in a brass kettle in his backyard until he came up with the winning concoction of cola nut (from the African Kola tree) and damiana (an American shrub) plus extracts of cocaine.

Initially, Pemeberton marketed his drink as a French wine coca, to soothe the nerves of the ladies - but owing to the emergance of the temperance league he was compelled to abandon the original formula and come up with a non-alcoholic alternative.

In 1887 Pemberton sold the formula to Atlanta businessman Asa Candler for a modest $2,300 and the Coca-cola company went full steam ahead. By the end of the decade coke was one of America's biggest selling soda fountain drinks.

Much of the Coca-cola' company's commercial success, back then as well as in every decade since, was due to an aggressive and inventive emphasis on marketing. The ad campaigns hit their demographic with an enviable accuracy and the company was smart enough to always change with the times, reinventing the ad campaigns and image as it went along, yet still managing to keep a distinctive Coca-cola identity.

Over the years coke moved from newspaper and magazine ads, to radio, television, product placement and since the early part of last century, made sure they had a coke machine ready and accessible wherever they could.

The first wobbly refrigerated Coca-cola vending machine appeared in 1928 and if you put a nickel in the slot, a bottle of coke would roll shakily out for you. Eventually the coke machine would become ubiquitous; like part of the furniture. They were an embedded feature of just about every gas station...and now they are just about everywhere, or at least everywhere there's thirsty humans.

These coke machines were such a feature of many people's childhoods, there's a strong nostalgiac feeling toward them, resulting in a booming market in retro designed fridges and vending machine-style coolers for the home. Coke nostalgia is popular in general- anything from bottles, badges, posters, tumblers, yoyos etc. Of course the original machines are highly sought after and thus very expensive but you still get that nostalgia feel with one of the many retro reproduction styles available.

Koolatron have made themselves specialists in the coca-cola nostalgia fridge market and they've been getting a good rap from customers. Have a browse of their retro range and check out the reviews at Amazon.