The other day I saw a show that said the that the formula for Cocacola was one of the best kept secrets in the world. The show said thet this formula was not patented, rather kept secret so that no one could replicate it.
How the hec do you keep something such as the formula for Cocacola secret??? There must be hundreds of factory workers that know how to make coke, or else how do they do it? How come Pepsi or some other compeditor has never gotten their hands on this formula?
How smart is it realy to keep somthing secret instead of patenting it and are there other companies that do the same?
Coke’s formula is a “trade secret”. There’s an explanation of the difference between patents and trade secrets here.
Check out this article on Snopes. The short answer is that the formula isn’t really a big secret, and it’s more of a publicity stunt:
There are not really any huge secrets about Coca-Cola. The precise details (proportions, processes) of the recipe are secret, but there’s little question on the nature of the primary ingredients. William Poundstone’s Big Secrets has a fairly concise discussion of this …
PepsiCo could no doubt make a virtual Coke clone-but they’ve wisely decided to make a slightly different product and carve out their own niche.
CCC keeps the details secret by comparmentalizing information, just like an intelligence agency. Lots of people know one part or another of the process, but only a few key executives and food scientists know the whole thing. And they all have a hollow tooth with a cyanide capsule, in case they’re ever captured. Er, no, that’s just the intelligence agents. My mistake.
(Citrus oils, vanilla, and cinnamon oil, for the curious, are the primary flavorings in Coke. And sugar, of course. Piles and piles of sugar. Or high fructose corn syrup these days …)
Jinx!
Maybe it isn’t quite as easy to replicate as one may think.
I recall before the Wall went down in Berlin, East Germany had a cola that was almost undrinkable.
There is still something called, “Afri-Cola” sold in Germany that is obviously a very bad attempt at copying the original.
Proof of that comes when you get a coke and have to tell the people behind the counter that either the syrup is low, or the carbonation is off. You know what “the real thing” tastes like.
Along the same lines: Is it true that no one has ever seen the entire source code to MS Windows?
I would imagine so. The source to Windows is enourmous.
I bet I couldn’t even fit it all on my 19-inch screen. 
Apparently, Microsoft has given the Windows source code to various world governments…US, UK, Russia…
However, who knows if the binaries distributed on the installation CD’s are the same as the source code given to governments. Obviously, if Windows does have a backdoor for NSA (and I’m sure it does, even if the NSAKEY thing was a false alarm), then the source code given to foreign governments would not include such a thing. They would think they’re safe, but unless they’re installing Windows everywhere from source, the backdoor could come off of the CD binary.
UnuMondo
Me thinks that someone spilled a Coke on thier keyboard, 'cause this discussion went off track…
I know, I know…SPELLCHECK!
i think that it is easily duplicable, but not overly easy. in my economics class, we did a blind (perhaps double blind…can’t remember for sure) study. the big three, coke, pepsi and rc, all were mistaken one for the other. but, none of the “lesser” brands, store house brands, e.g, braums, shasta, best buy, were mistaken for the big three. fwiw
To find out Coke’s recipe, could you take it to a lab and have it analysed?
Well, you can just look at the side of the can if you want to know what’s in it. As I understand it, the formula isn’t just ingredients and their relative proportions – it’s also when each ingredient is added to the mix and in what manner.
I made a big ass post to this thread yesterday that got eaten by the server going down… so I’ll sum it up.
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The Snopes article on this and on New Coke will be of interest to you.
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Name recognition is what makes Coke Coke. Diet Coke was a success with a different taste that many people prefer. Taste tests shows New Coke being better. But people rioted when Coke vanished.
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It is similar to re-branding a car and adding more luxary options, like Lexus.
Interesting program on the History Channel not too long ago on just this subject – the formulation of Coke. Sugar, yeah! LOTS of sugar! I liked the part that talked about Coke’s blown opportunity to actually BUY Pepsi, lock, stock and barrel!
IMHO, the guy (gal) who thought up the “New Coke” idea should be rich. The public outcry over the reformulation generated exposure (pronounced “free advertising”) the likes of which I’ve never seen duplicated in my lifetime. How long did CCC get by selling both the “New” and the “Classic?”
At least they don’t have to color it blue to sell it…