The Coca-Cola Trail

The Coca-Cola Trail is a journey for anyone interested in discovering the history and growth of the world's most recognized product. The trail will take readers to the places in America that tell the story - places where you can see, touch, and remember. Whether a serious Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, a person interested in American business history, or simply a fan - The Coca-Cola Trail provides a fresh new look at a trusted old friend. 30 chapters cover each bottling plant location in meticulous detail, including unique and ghost billboard signage.

So, what is a Coca-Cola Bottler? Well, from a legal standpoint, it's a franchisee of the Coca-Cola company, who has been granted the right to bottle and sell Coca-Cola in an exclusive territory. This franchise or contract has been amended and otherwise changed somewhat over the years to add many additional brands, but in the beginning, it was granted for the sole purpose of bottling and distributing Coca-Cola throughout the bottler's territory.

In the early years, it was bottled one bottle at a time, placed in wooden cases, and hauled to the customer in horse or mule-drawn wagons. The bottling plants were crude and the task was difficult but by acquiring these franchises, these entrepreneurs had unknowingly won the lottery. They had settled on investing in a product that would change the world. A fabulous beverage with a delicious, unique taste profile that provided a refreshing boost to the drinker. Even in today's world, with thousands of brands of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, Coca-Cola remains at the top in providing that unique taste and special experience in a beverage. You combine this great product with brilliant advertising and marketing from The Coca-Cola Company and "voila" you have a brand and company and a bottling and distribution system that has been so successful that books upon books have been written about it for over 100 years. That is unique in itself.

"If you like history of any type, you must read this book. Part history, part travel guide but always interesting, and when you've finished you'll be a master of some particular trivia questions.The Coca-Cola Trail is chockfull of very interesting - every page brings a new delight of some lesser-known areas of the US. A wonderful book that I highly recommend to all history buffs." -- Linda Thompson, host of The Authors Show

"I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Coke memorabilia and also to anyone who is interested in learning a different portion of the history of the South. Of course, Coke extended past the southern states, even in the beginning, with one of the earliest bottling plants being located in Leadville, Colorado. If you grew up drinking Coke, this is somewhat like a trip down memory lane as well; filled with pictures of old places and people who were active in the first years of Coke." -- S. Byrd, Atlanta, GA

""Coca-Cola is an international sensation, and Larry Jorgensen of Lafayette, Louisiana, has written a book documenting the many places in the United States showcasing Coke history or attractions unique to Coca-Cola. Jorgensen spent two years researching this book, which is also filled with historic photos and recent shots of places and people." -- Louisiana Book News

"From Civil War boots sewn by German immigrants to a massive international corporation with a script image nearly as familiar as the stars-and-stripes, The Coca-Cola Trail is a great American story well narrated by Jorgensen." -- Mack Hassler, U.P. Book Review

Larry Jorgensen has captured the essence of the history and passion for this business through exhaustive interviews with the family members/owners and associates of these multi-generational enterprises. Many of these bottlers have museums of Coca-Cola memorabilia and historical information that most everyone will find to be a fun excursion to see and learn and enjoy. A history book and travel guide all rolled into one that will transport you back to another time and recall happy memories of days gone by.