History
Coca-Cola was first sold to the public in 1886 at the soda fountain of Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta. But it was only in 1894, with the opening of the first bottling plant, that the first chapter was written in the success story with which we are all now familiar.
As far back as 1927, Romana Acque Gassose opened the first Coca-Cola manufacturing and bottling plant in Italy.
This was followed in the 1930s by the bottling companies SRIBEG in Genoa and STIB in Leghorn, and by FAMIB in Milan, which manufactured and marketed soft drinks under The Coca-Cola Company trademark. The independent bottling companies subsequently multiplied to the point where they were in a position to distribute Coca- Cola products all over Italy.
In 1995, The Coca-Cola Company, global leader in soft drinks boasting 4 of the world’s 5 biggest brands (Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola light (Diet Coke), Fanta and Sprite), decided to handle its Italian operations directly and accordingly bought the 11 bottling companies located in the north and centre of the country. These increased to 16 by 1998.
Coca-Cola Bevande Italia S.p.A. emerged out of the fusion of these bottling companies and in 2005 took on the name Coca-Cola HBC Italia S.r.l. following the change of name of the holding company from Coca-Cola Beverages to the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (Coca-Cola HBC), known as Coca-Cola Hellenic.
In order to expand its product portfolio and meet the needs of customers, in 2006 Coca-Cola HBC Italia, together with Coca-Cola Italia, purchased the mineral water company Fonti del Vulture situated in Rionero in Vulture, Potenza (Region of Basilicata).
In 2008, Coca-Cola Hellenic added five regions of southern Italy to its territories by purchasing the SOCIB bottling company from the Capua Group, which had been operating in the “Mezzogiorno” since the 1960s.
Coca-Cola HBC Italia is today the largest manufacturer and distributor of The Coca-Cola Company’s products in Italy. It employs over 3,300 people and has 7 factories and 3 distribution logistic centres located all over the country (Sicily excluded).
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