Canada's Coca-Cola Refreshing the Nation for 120 Years

A lavishly illustrated celebration of Coca-Cola's 120 years in Canada.


Coca-Cola has been refreshing Canadians for 120 years. But the relationship goes much deeper than that. Canada makes, as well as drinks, Coca-Cola beverages in huge quantities. The first batch of iconic bottles to be made in Canada came off a production line at 65 Bellwoods Avenue in Toronto in 1907. Today Coca-Cola employs thousands of Canadians in all ten provinces, in production plants, in sales, distribution and, of course, on the farms that produce the ingredients required by that legendary secret recipe. Coca-Cola has also made significant contributions to Canadian sports and culture, too, by way of sponsorship; and in return, Canada will be forever in the company's debt for demonstrating that Coke goes down very well in cold weather too, transforming the marketing of Coke from a summer thrist-quencher to a drink for all seasons.
     Douglas Hunter chronicles this association with a born storyteller's verve and historian's eye for the telling detail. And for this project Coca-Cola Canada has granted full access to its extraordinary archive of photographs and graphic art. The spectacular selection in this book serve as both a window into the history of Canada in its sesquicentennial year, and a celebration of the company that has been a key partner in our national project for 120 of those 150 years.

DOUGLAS HUNTER has written widely on business, history, and sport. He has published articles in Saturday Night, the Globe and Mail, and the National Post. His previous books include War Games, Molson: The Birth of a Business Empire, The Bubble and the Bear: How Nortel Burst the Canadian Dream, which won the National Business Book Award, and, most recently, God's Mercies: Rivalry, Betrayal, and the Dream of Discovery.