A couple of Coke related questions.
1. I've been told that more and more Mexicans are visiting the U.S. to
pick up Coke - in the glass bottle - as they prefer this due to
history. Any stories on this phenomenon?
2. I'm also looking for the percentage split between Coca-Cola glass
bottles, cans and cups sold in the U.S.

Great answers will be honored with generous tips ;-)

Good luck - can't wait to hear back from you.

Martin

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Clarification of Question by lindstrom-ga on 15 Dec 2003 18:08 PST

Hi crabcakes-ga,
You are absolutly right - it was me forgetting the "correct story".
Now I recall - the story is that people go to Mexico to pick up the
"real" bottle as it is not avaiable in the U.S. crabcakes-ga  would
you be able to identify any stories around this topic by any chance?

Martin

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Request for Question Clarification by crabcakes-ga on 15 Dec 2003 19:27 PST

Hi lindstrom,
 I just saw your clarification. I wanted to let you know I'll search
for the story for you, and post it as a comment if and when I find it!
crabcakes-ga

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Clarification of Question by lindstrom-ga on 15 Dec 2003 20:11 PST

Hi juggler-ga (or crabcakes-ga),
Thanks for your answer - interesting story.
I would still like to see "just one" article about the trend of
Americans purchasing Coke's in Mexico - any chance you could find such
article?

All the best,

Martin

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Request for Question Clarification by knowledge_seeker-ga on 16 Dec 2003 05:05 PST

Hi lindstrom

For part 2, is this what you want?  If so, I'll get you the reference.

COCA COLA
--------------------------------------------------
                         2002             2001

Equivalent Cases         4.3 Billion     4.2 Billion  
 Bottle and Can          87%              87%  
 Fountain                13%              13%

---------------------------------------------------
Bottle and Can Equivalent Case Package Distribution
   
                                  2002  2001
 Cans                             44%   44% 
 Nonrefillable Bottles            52%   52% 
 Refillable Bottles and Pre-mix   4%    4% 
-----------------------------------------------


-K~

(crossing my fingers that the above charts come out aligned)

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Clarification of Question by lindstrom-ga on 16 Dec 2003 07:22 PST

knowledge_seeker-ga,
I'm not 100 per cent sure as your stats dosn't outline the split
between bottles in glass and "other stuff". My main objective is to
show that the sales of glass bottles in the U.S. is very limited...
any ideas?

martin

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Request for Question Clarification by knowledge_seeker-ga on 16 Dec 2003 08:47 PST

Hmm...

I was thinking Refillable = Glass and non-refillable = PET (plastic). 

Now, however, I am questioning that assumption. First, it seems that
not all Glass bottles are refillable -- a point that actually supports
your premise if we apply it to the above stats.

According to Coca Cola:

"The current 8oz bottles are not made to withstand the refilling
process ...refillable bottles must contain more glass ... and are
therefore heavier and thicker than the current bottles ... the current
8oz bottle has almost the same outside dimensions as the 6 1/2 oz
returnable bottles. The difference is the amount of glass used to make
it ..."

Then they say:

"[Refillable bottles] are not available in many areas because research
has shown that consumers in the United Staes prefer the convenience of
recyclable packaging and curbside recycling programs to the task of
returning bottles.."

COCA COLA - FAQ - PACKAGING
http://www2.coca-cola.com/contactus/faq/packaging.html


However, I can't confirm whether *all* PET bottles are non-refillable.
I think that would be a good next step to research. If it turns out to
be true, then the above statistics (that only 4% of sales are
refillable bottles -- hence glass) would illustrate your point, yes?

I'll follow up on the PET bottle research this afternoon, unless you
think my reasoning is flawed.

Here is the source of the original data by the way ...

COCA COLA ENTERPRISES - STATISTICS 
http://www.cokecce.com/srclib/1.2.1.html

-K~

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Request for Question Clarification by juggler-ga on 16 Dec 2003 17:19 PST

These figures (from year 2000) are for all carbonated soft drinks (not
just Coke), but they put refillable glass bottles at 1% of the market
and "one-way" glass bottles at 0%.
http://www.grrn.org/beverage/refillables/USmix.html#CSDmix


Also, I'm not sure that the Coca-Cola Enterprises statistics cited
above give an accurate picture of the split between fountain and
canned/bottle Coca-Cola for the U.S. as a whole.

Most of Coca-Cola's U.S. fountain syrup business (including large
restaurant chains such as McDonalds) is controlled directly by The
Coca-Cola Company, rather than by its partially-owned subsidiary
Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Hi lindstrom, 
Regarding Part 1 of your question: I live 2 hours from the Mexican
border, and many North Americans here go to Mexico to buy *their* Coke
in bottles, as it is far sweeter than Coke made in the US.This story
has been on our local news several times in the last few months! I
rarely see Coke in bottles here in the US.
 crabcakes-ga

As for Part 1, I agree with Crabcakes.  Coca-Cola is flowing north out
of Mexico. Where I live (California), many taco and burrito shops sell
Coke in glass bottles from Mexico.   This Mexican Coca-Cola supposedly
uses real sugar instead of the high-fructose corn syrup used in the
U.S. version of Coke. I have bought this soda on many occasions, and
it is DOES seem to taste better. I'm not sure if the sugar or the
glass (or perhaps nostalgia!) is the reason for the improved flavored.

The Mexican Coke bottles are relatively large (16 oz?), in the classic
"contour" style and returnable. This is sort of "gray market"
Coca-Cola because it's being sold in U.S. bottlers' territory. Given
its "gray market" status, I'm not sure if it'd be possible to guess
with any accuracy how much Mexican Coke is being sold in the U.S.

 The Coca-Cola Company does still sell Coke in small 8 oz bottles
glass bottles in the U.S., but the bottles are non-returnable. In
fact, I saw some at Target the other day and they were rather
expensive (~$3.99 for a 6-pack). At least in my area, these 8 oz glass
bottles appear to represent only a very tiny portion of Coca-Cola's
overall sales.


As for Part 2, I couldn't find statistics specific to Coca-Col, but
Businessweek had some numbers for the U.S. soft drink industry as a
whole:

Gallons of carbonated soft drinks sold by container:

1996:
Aluminum (can) 41%
Plastic (bottle) 32%
Other 27%

2001 estimated:
Aluminum 36%
Plastic 36%
Other 28%

source:
BusinessWeek: October 6, 1997
WHAT'S FOILING THE ALUMINUM CAN
http://www.businessweek.com/cgi-bin/register/archive.cgi?y=1997&w=&h=b3547114.arc.htm
(free registration required to view).

Here's are some stories about the Mexican Coke phenomenon:


Coca-Cola made in Mexico gets its extra sweetness from sucrose and corn syrup.
Karen Fernau The Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/home/food/articles/0709swkitchen09.html


"Mexican Coke is the real thing in Omaha  -  The Associated Press
OMAHA - Hefty, green-glass, 16.9-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola haven't
been common in the United States for almost a quarter of a century.
But if sales of the Mexican-bottled product in area stores are any
indication, the heavy glass bottles are making a comeback..."
http://www.somosprimos.com/spoct01.htm


For them, it's the real thing
Many prefer the glass-bottled Coca-Cola that's made in Mexico
Monday, November 10, 2003
By VANESSA COLON / The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California)
It could be the slender retro look or the sugar cane in its carbonated mix.
Or maybe it's simply a bubbly recuerdo of Mexico...
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_NEWS_nacoca10.57b24.html
(free registration required to view)


juggler-ga

Hi again lindstrom,

I found a few articles for you:

Press Enterprise, Inland California (You may need to sign up - its
free, to read articles here)
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_NEWS_nacoca10.57b24.html


The Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/6949405.htm

This site claims Mexico and Iceland have the highest per capita
consumption of Coke:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/4269/history.html

According to this site, the different taste of Coke in different
countries, may also be attributable to the regional water differences.
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/9137/faq.htm

According to Food and Drink Weekly, Jan. 2002, the use of corn syrup
in soda may dwindle, due to falling sugar prices and tax on corn
sweeteners. (I don?t know where they are going, but I see many trains
with tankers of corn syrup going south through my town, 2 hours north
of the Mexican border.)
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0EUY/2_8/81826774/p1/article.jhtml

and
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0EUY/3_8/82105431/p1/article.jhtml

Off topic: 
The Essence of Vanilla, on this page discusses the effect Vanilla Coke
has on the Mexican vanilla industry.
http://www.mexicanwave.com/

I see juggler and I posted one of the same articles....I hadn't seen
his comment when I posted!
crabcakes-ga

crabcakes-ga and juggler-ga,
Thanks for your contribution - we are on track. I guess the challenge
is the payment now ;-)
I'll post US$ 7 to each of you - as a lot of the stuff you are
covering is similar. Is that okay - if not please let me know okay?

I've posted your names in as a seperate request for payment.

Once again thanks for your help,

All the best,

Martin

Hi Martin!

I found a few articles that illustrate that the sales of glass
Coca-Cola bottles in the U.S. is very limited.


From the Glass Packaging Institute:

?Jefferson City plant stops production of glass Coke bottles.?

?They?re short, they're sweet, they're made of glass, and come
Wednesday, they will be even more hard to find.?

?Jefferson City Coca Cola Bottling Company on Tuesday was filling its
last 6.5-ounce returnable glass Coke bottle.?

?The Mid-Missouri facility, at its current location since 1942, was
one of just three locations nationwide still bottling Coke in the
small, green, contoured containers.?

(..)

?Facilities in Michigan and Minnesota are the only other places that
bottle Coke in the small containers.?

?Carl Vogel, a state legislator and fourth generation distributor at
the Jefferson City facility, said modern plastic bottles with twist
off caps are replacing the glass bottles.?

`This type of production doesn't fit into Coke's local process.'' 

?The production of the 6.5 ounce bottles occurs about once a month in
Jefferson City, in part because so many bottles are not returned,
Vogel said.?

?Schwartze said one of the attractions of the small, glass bottles is
the fact that many people believe that the Coke tastes better.?

Glass Packaging Institute http://www.gpi.org/glasstalk_archives/glassdec01.htm


CokeŽ is switching away from glass bottles and aluminum cans, which
are made with recycled material, to plastic bottles that contain none.
http://www.grrn.org/coke/cokenytimes.pdf

FEW BOTTLERS REMAIN

?Minnesota had more than 50 Coca-Cola bottlers back in the days before
aluminum cans. The number peaked in the 1930s, when there were 1,225
Coke bottlers nationwide. Today, just four of the small, family-run
businesses remain.?

?A company in Escanaba, Mich., refills 10-ounce bottles; the Deming,
N.M., plant does the 16-ounce bottles. Winona refills 10- and 16-ounce
bottles as well as the 6.5-size. Only one other, Union City Coca- Cola
Co. in Tennessee, refills 6.5-ounce bottles.?

?Red Wing Coca-Cola Bottling stopped filling bottles a couple of years
ago and, like most, is strictly a distributor now. Owner Jim Grantman
gets what bottles he needs for traditional clients from Winona.?

"The bottles are worth so much, people steal them," Grantman said. "If
there's a $2.40 deposit on 24 bottles, and the bottles are worth $10
each at a flea market, how smart do you have to be? We just weren't
getting them back."

(..)

?After the Jefferson City Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Missouri filled
its last 6.5-ounce bottle last month, Kuhlmann arranged to buy its
stock. ?

?He fills them once a month - running larger glass bottles the rest of
the time - and distributes to the few remaining clients in a 40-mile
radius who can be counted on to return the empties.?

?Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Winona is one of two bottlers remaining in
the country that fill the coveted 6.5 ounce glass bottles.?

?If you have empty bottles, the company will refill them for $5 a case.?

?The company does not sell the empty bottles.?

Soda Pop Dreams Magazine
http://www.pww.on.ca/old-time.htm

Thanks,
Bobbie7

Martin,

Here's another article:

?Thanks to "combo" meals and "super-size" drinks at fast-food
restaurants, the fountain business has been growing faster than sales
of soft drinks in bottles and cans, though the pace has slowed. About
24% of soft drinks sold in the U.S. are dispensed by fountains. And
while Pepsi and Coke are usually neck and neck in other sales outlets,
Coke has a 65% share of the fountain business, towering over Pepsi's
25%. Coke doesn't break out profits for this business, but analysts
say the fountain segment accounts for 25% to 40% of Coke's U.S.
profit.?
http://www.xent.com/FoRK-archive/may98/0147.html

Bobbie7