Coca-Cola Moves Secret Formula For First Time in 125 Years

The secret is out, Coca-Cola says in the first sentence of a release Thursday about its 125-year-old formula used to make its Coca-Cola Classic soda.

No, no, not the secret is out, as in the secret formula being revealed. The secret is out, as in, out of one home and into another.

The vault holding the company's top-secret formula was moved Thursday as part of the company's 125th anniversary celebrations. It is now housed in a vault at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta. Want to see the formula? You can't! But you can sure see the vault that houses it, if you want!

This is a special day in Coca-Cola history, and the perfect culmination to our 125th anniversary celebrations this year, said Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola's chairman and CEO.

By sharing this secret formula experience with our consumers, we celebrate both the rich history of the brand's beginnings and the moments of refreshment and happiness to come for future generations. This is yet another way we are recognizing and thanking everyone around the world who has made the Coca-Cola brand what it is today.

Sharing the secret formula ... experience. Oh, you guys.

The formula was previously housed in a vault at SunTrust Banks Inc. In May 2007, the bank began selling its stake in the company, but Coca-Cola said that did not factor in the decision to move the formula as part of its anniversary celebrations.

It had remained there since 1925. The history of Coca-Cola's closely guarded formula begins even before that. In 1886, according to the company, John Pemberton invented the formula, but it was never written down and was only shared with a small group of trustees. Then, in 1919, Ernest Woodruff and investors purchased the company, but he needed collateral to get a loan.

He provided the formula. The formula remained in a New York bank until 1925, when Woodruff was able to pay back the loan.

The move of the Coca-Cola secret formula is a historic moment for the company, said Phil Mooney, director of archives for Coca-Cola. The company has always gone to great lengths to protect it and now by safeguarding it at the World of Coca-Cola, we can share its legendary legacy with people around the world.

See a vault, share in a legacy. Sure.