February 16, 2011 - Coca-Cola's spokeswoman and its archive director have both refuted the claim made by public radio show "This American Life" that its cola formula - one of the most famous and valuable trade secrets, and one that has lasted 125 years - had been found. But the actual formula for Coca-Cola resides in a bank vault in Atlanta.
Coke's archive director, Philip Mooney, spoke with the radio show and expressed doubt that the recipe - which was found in a 1979 copy of the Atlanta Constitution - was in fact the "Real Thing." The photo accompanying the article showed an old notebook with a list of ingredients such as caramel, sugar, vanilla, lime juice, oil of neroli and other spices and flavorings.
"Could it be a precursor? Yeah, absolutely," Mooney commented. "Is this the one that went to market? I don't think so."