Join us on February 23rd at Hub City Bookshop as we welcome Bartow J. Elmore who will be reading from his book Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism.
The event begins at 7:00 pm. Elmore will lead a discussion on the book.
In this new history, Bartow J. Elmore explores Coke through its ingredients, showing how the company secured massive quantities of coca leaf, caffeine, sugar, and other inputs. Its growth was driven by shrewd leaders such as Asa Candler, who scaled an Atlanta soda-fountain operation into a national empire, and Robert Woodruff, who nurtured partnerships with companies like Hershey and Monsanto.
Alongside Coke’s recent public investments in water purification infrastructure, especially in Africa, it has also built—less publicly—a rash of bottling plants in dangerously arid regions.
Looking past its message of corporate citizenship, Elmore finds a strategy of relentless growth.