In 1899 Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead traveled from Chattanooga to Atlanta, Georgia to meet with Asa Griggs Candler, the owner of Coca-Cola, in hopes of securing the rights to bottle the beverage. At the time bottling Coca-Cola was seen as an untested industry, and Candler had concerns over maintaining the quality of his product. Eventually he sold the rights to bottle Coca-Cola in the United States to Thomas and Whitehead for one dollar.[1]
These were the founders of the Coca Cola Bottling Company which is a completely seperate company from The Coca Cola Company. So if the above info is correct, then Coke was first bottled in Chattanooga,Tenn. I am no expert, this is just ifo that I find interesting. Whether the one I have is a real Coke or a knockoff is of no signifiance to me. It is just part of my collection. Buster