I mentioned on Inventors Day that the six-pack carrier was an innovation from Coca-Cola.

Though it's commonplace today, the idea of a carton that could help you carry six bottles of Coke at once was a huge break-through back in 1923, when Coca-Cola introduced it.

This 1923 U.S. poster shows what the cartons looked like then, and you'll see the design was quite different from the cartons or Fridge Packs we know today.

Coke_six_pack_carton

The carrier helped encourage people to take bottles of Coca-Cola home and drink Coke more often. Imagine carrying individual bottles of Coke -- in glass bottles, no less -- home. You just wouldn't do it, or you wouldn't buy as many bottles! The carton was a relatively simple idea that really helped change our business.

Aside from the convenience, the carton also tied into a growing movement of the time -- home refrigeration. This was around the time when having a way to refrigerate food at home was becoming common, so the carriers helped people bring home Coke that could be served cold.

Our carton didn't catch on immediately, and took some extra marketing to become popular. When I buy my 12-packs of Coca-Cola classic, I'm really glad we gave the carton that extra push!

Happy 85th anniversary to the carton we all use and appreciate today!