The american dream in every package: stories behind US products

The United States is a giant: it is one of the largest countries in the world and many products that today are consumed daily around the globe were invented there. But brands have a story behind them. The packaging doesn’t always speak for itself.

Coca-Cola

In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton was looking for a cure for headaches. After experimenting with various ingredients, he finally created a carbonated beverage containing extracts of coca leaves and kola nuts. The name of the drink, Coca-Cola, was derived from these two ingredients. In 1892, Asa Candler bought the company for u$s2,300 and began expanding the brand nationally and internationally. Candler was a pioneer in the world of advertising and used several innovative methods to promote the brand: print advertising, illuminated signs and the promotion of free samples. During World War I, the U.S. Army sought a beverage that could be easily transported and stay fresh for long periods of time. Coca-Cola was selected and became a popular drink among the troops. After World War II, Coca-Cola became a symbol of American culture and was actively promoted around the world. By 1920 the drink began to be sold in glass bottles.

McDonald's

The McDonald's brothers' idea was revolutionary for the time. Although the Bar-B-Q they had opened in the 1930s had been working very well, they decided to close it in order to implement changes aimed at speeding up service. The axes of their new concept were key to the emergence of the first McDonald's in December 1948: reducing the menu to only 9 options (hamburgers, fries, drinks and milkshakes) and standardizing the processes in the kitchen, turning it into a kind of “assembly linet”. Breaking all the existing rules in the market, the McDonald's brothers stood out from the competition and their story began to make headlines across the U.S., attracting the attention of investors. In fact, in 1952, the brothers sold their first franchise to Neil Fox in Phoenix, which they used as an opportunity to prototype what future restaurants would look like. In the process, they created the yellow arches that would become the multinational's symbol over the years.

Stanley

A product and a brand born in the United States more than a hundred years ago and aimed at a very specific market: outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, fishing and climbing. The first thermos was designed by William Stanley Jr. in 1913, when he invented a portable bottle with a double-walled stainless steel insulation that gave better results than glass, which was what was used at the time as the inner lining. The version, difficult to confirm, is that he wanted his coffee to be hot throughout the day while he worked. It was so successful in countries such as Argentina that Stanley's headquarters ended up developing products only for that market, such as the “pico primer” and the steel mate.

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