Cola Cola is right up there as one of the most recognisable brands around thanks its distinctive can, but have you ever wondered why full fat Coke is red?
The colour choice isn't random – or have anything to do with Christmas, despite what the festive advent might have you think - but rather, according to The Sun, it's is all to do with taxes.
Apparently, the red can dates all the way back to the 1890s when the fizz was first sold, and the drink was served out of large barrels in US shops. Alcohol – which was taxed unlike soft drinks – was also stored in similar barrels, so the brand decided to paint its Coke containers red so that tax officials could easily tell them apart.
Clever, right? Soon enough the colour stuck and quickly became the brand's signature shade. Coca-Cola have also confirmed this is true, so there you go.
Francesca Rice is the Multiplatform Editor of Red, leading on all things digital for the brand. She oversees every section of the site, from Fashion to Wellbeing, and directs Red's digital content strategy across all platforms, including newsletter, social media and video. Francesca has worked as a journalist on the UK's top lifestyle and luxury titles since 2013. She joined Red as Digital Editor in 2021, having previously held senior editorial roles at Hearst UK as Good Housekeeping's Deputy Digital Editor and Prima's Senior Digital Writer. Prior to this, she worked as a News & Features Writer for SheerLuxe, after beginning her journalism career as the Features Assistant at Marie Claire. Francesca has a postgraduate diploma in Multimedia Magazine Journalism from the Press Association and a degree in English Literature from Durham University. Having attended an international school, she is fluent in French and Italian (and occasionally Spanish after a few glasses of rosé). She loves travel, books and pizza so a relaxing holiday in Italy is pretty much her dream scenario.
