Author(s): Michael Blanding

Business

"The Coke Machine" takes readers deep inside The Coca-Cola Company and its international franchisees to reveal how they became the number one brand in the world, and how far they'll go to stay there. Ever since its "I'd like to teach the world to sing" commercials from the 1970s, Coca-Cola has billed itself as the world's beverage, a formula that has made it one of the most profitable companies on the planet and "Coca-Cola" the world's second most recognized word after "hello." however, as the company expands its reach, an increasing number of the world's citizens are finding the taste of coke more bitter than sweet. "The Coke Machine" probes shocking accusations about the company's global impact, including: coca-cola's history of winning at any cost - even if it meant that its franchisees were making deals with the Nazis and Guatemalan paramilitary squads; the horrific environmental impact of coke bottling plants in India and Mexico; that coke bottlers stand accused of conspiring with paramilitaries to threaten, kidnap, and murder union leaders in their bottling plants in Colombia. "The Coke Machine" is the first comprehensive probe of the company and its secret formula for greed.