Coca Cola 2004 Annual Report Download - page 3

PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
The Coca-Cola Company is the largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage
concentrates and syrups in the world. Finished beverage products bearing our trademarks, sold in the United
States since 1886, are now sold in more than 200 countries and include the leading soft drink products in most of
these countries. In this report, the terms ‘‘Company,’’ ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us’’ or ‘‘our’’ mean The Coca-Cola Company and
all subsidiaries included in our consolidated financial statements.
Our business is nonalcoholic beverages—principally carbonated soft drinks, but also a variety of
noncarbonated beverages. We manufacture beverage concentrates and syrups as well as some finished
beverages, which we sell to bottling and canning operations, distributors, fountain wholesalers and some
fountain retailers. We also produce, market and distribute juices and juice drinks and certain water products. In
addition, we have ownership interests in numerous bottling and canning operations.
We were incorporated in September 1919 under the laws of the State of Delaware, and succeeded to the
business of a Georgia corporation with the same name that had been organized in 1892.
Our Company is one of numerous competitors in the commercial beverages market. Of the approximately
50 billion beverage servings of all types consumed worldwide every day, beverages bearing trademarks owned by
or licensed to us (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘our trademarks’’) account for approximately 1.3 billion.
We believe that our success depends on our ability to connect with consumers by providing them a wide
variety of choices to meet their desires, needs and lifestyle choices. It further depends on the ability of our
people to execute effectively, every day.
Our goal is to use our Company’s assets—our brands, financial strength, unrivaled distribution system and
the strong commitment of management and employees—to become more competitive and to accelerate growth
in a manner that creates value for our shareowners. Our Company has identified certain principal short-term
areas of focus designed to accelerate growth:
• Build on our fundamental capabilities
• Generate new avenues for growth through our core brands, with a focus on diet and light products
• Continue to expand into other profitable segments of the nonalcoholic beverages industry
• Expand our presence in immediate consumption channels
• Re-energize marketing and innovation
• Drive increased efficiency and effectiveness.
The Company’s operating structure includes the following operating segments, the first five of which are
sometimes referred to as strategic business units:
• North America
• Africa
• Asia
• Europe, Eurasia and Middle East
• Latin America
• Corporate.
This structure is the basis for our Company’s internal financial reporting. The North America operating
segment includes the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. During the first quarter of 2002, the Egypt Region
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