Coca Cola 2008 Annual Report Download - page 4

Operating Segments
The Company’s operating structure is the basis for our internal financial reporting. As of December 31,
2008, our operating structure included the following operating segments, the first six of which are sometimes
referred to as ‘‘operating groups’’ or ‘‘groups’’:
• Eurasia and Africa
• Europe
• Latin America
• North America
• Pacific
• Bottling Investments
• Corporate
Our operating structure as of December 31, 2008, reflected changes we made effective July 1, 2008, when
we reconfigured our former European Union operating segment to include the Adriatic and Balkans business
unit and renamed it the Europe operating segment; and combined the remaining former Eurasia operating
segment with the former Africa operating segment to form the Eurasia and Africa operating segment. We
revised previously reported operating segment information to conform to our current operating structure.
Except to the extent that differences among operating segments are material to an understanding of our
business taken as a whole, the description of our business in this report is presented on a consolidated basis.
For financial information about our operating segments and geographic areas, refer to Note 5 and Note 21
of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II, ‘‘Item 8. Financial Statements and
Supplementary Data’’ of this report, incorporated herein by reference. For certain risks attendant to our
non-U.S. operations, refer to ‘‘Item 1A. Risk Factors,’’ below.
Products and Distribution
Our Company manufactures and sells beverage concentrates, sometimes referred to as ‘‘beverage bases,’’
and syrups, including fountain syrups, and finished beverages.
As used in this report:
• ‘‘concentrates’’ means flavoring ingredients and, depending on the product, sweeteners used to prepare
syrups or finished beverages;
• ‘‘syrups’’ means the beverage ingredients produced by combining concentrates and, depending on the
product, sweeteners and added water;
• ‘‘fountain syrups’’ means syrups that are sold to fountain retailers, such as restaurants, that use dispensing
equipment to mix the syrups with sparkling or still water at the time of purchase to produce finished
beverages that are served in cups or glasses for immediate consumption;
• ‘‘sparkling beverages’’ means nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages with carbonation, including energy
drinks and carbonated waters and flavored waters;
• ‘‘still beverages’’ means nonalcoholic beverages without carbonation, including noncarbonated waters,
flavored waters and enhanced waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks; and
• ‘‘Company Trademark Beverages’’ means beverages bearing our trademarks and certain other beverage
products licensed to us for which we provide marketing support and from the sale of which we derive
economic benefit.
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