Larry Jorgensen “The Coca-Cola Trail” People and Places in the History of Coca-Cola  Author background:   Journalist with extensive experience in print (weekly, daily and magazines), radio and television news (both writing and on-air) wire service, assignment and freelance.  Publisher/editor monthly publication.   Currently research and writing history related articles and books. Also providing media services for clients. Works from office at his home along a bayou in Louisiana. https://www.thecocacolatrail.com

www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription: Vision In Word

Marlana: Larry Jorgensen is a journalist and author of the Coca Cola trail. He opened places in the history of Coca Cola. Welcome Larry. 

Larry: thank you, It's a pleasure to be here and to participate in your programme.

Marlana: Well, thank you, you know, brands don't get much more iconic than Coca Cola.

Larry: Yeah, that's true.

Marlana: So, what was the motivation for you behind doing all this research and becoming an expert in this? 

Larry: Well, actually, it started out not to be a book. I freelance writing. And one of the areas I like to write about his travel. I learned that there was a Coca Cola museum of sorts in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where Coca Cola was first bottle by the way. And I thought, well, that's interesting. And then I also learned that there was one not too far away in Monroe, Louisiana, which they kind of related. So, I thought, that's a great travel feature. I'll do a feature on two Coca Cola museums. Well, by the time I got to the second one, I had met people who were relatives, you know, heirs of the original bottlers who got talking and found out that this story is all over the country. It wasn't just in Vicksburg, or in Monroe. And I was encouraged to look further. And in fact, no one has really done a book about this specific area of Coca Cola, (the little bottlers, the people who got involved, you know, made it happen). earlier books are all about corporate Coca Cola, Atlanta, Georgia, tried a lot of support the bottlers and the people that found out I was doing a book, we're just very gracious to help and provide photos from their files and exclusive interviews. It was truly a great experience to do the book.

Marlana: And you know, I think that's one thing that we tend to forget sometimes, that behind any brand, there's just people and the stories of people.

Larry: that’s very true and coke has got such a unique story of people because, you know, you see why you go buy a bottle, or a can, or whatever, Coca Cola, but you know, Coca Cola didn't think bottling their drink was a good idea. And when Joe Beaton art in Vicksburg, first bottled it in 1896, he was selling the syrup, he had a solar phone, and he was using the syrup which would come in gallons, you don't make the drink at his phone. And he was also selling the syrup to other, he was a distributor to other solar phones. And he thought, you know, this is 1896 at Vicksburg, if I could get this to the people in the country, so they don't have to come to town, we can sell some more Coca Cola, so he decided to bottle, and he sent his first two cases to Asia Candler, who at that time owned Coca Cola and was making the syrup and Asia responded with it's okay but you know, I’m more interested in selling the syrup. And Joe got a little upset because he never sent the bottles back. But anyhow. So, it goes on for five years like this Joby Nardus bottling Coca Cola. As it turns out, there are two enterprising, here's our new entrepreneurs in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who thought, you know, Coca Cola is really a good drink, we get it at the local phones, maybe we can bottle it. So they go to Atlanta, and they talk to Mr. Candler. And they say we would like to get the exclusive rights to bottle Coca Cola. He told them that's ridiculous. He said, I'm worried the flavor will...