The outing to the Coca Cola Factory in Akita on Wednesday 25th April was very interesting and enjoyable and I would like to share with you our discoveries about Coca Cola…
First of all…a little quiz…
1. When did Coca Cola first come to Japan?
2. When was the Akita Coca Cola Factory opened?
3. How many countries are now enjoying Coca Cola around the world?
4. How many Coca Cola drinks are sold in one day around the world?
Answers at the end of this report, if you haven’t answered them by then!
Mrs It made all the arrangements and we are very thankful to her for arranging a lovely day.
Unfortunately, only 5 members came as unexpected family commitments stopped others.
The factory is a franchise and has 70 employees and runs 24 hours around the clock on shift work. They have one tour every day. 245,000 bottles are produced in one week. The recipe is top secret and only the Head Office in Atlanta USA knows the ingredients.
The water is taken from under the Akita factory and purified and filtered. In one of the huge water tanks there is 20,000 litres. After filtering, the secret syrup is added and then the carbonic fizz is added and the process is well on the way.
The famous glass Coca Cola bottle is recycled. At the factory the bottles are washed and sterilized and checked thoroughly for cracks, chips and appearance. This takes a lot of time and energy however, the bottles are traditional and they are used particularly for wedding ceremonies and special occasions as they are still considered attractive on the tables.
When the Aquarius Drinks are being made they are heated during their production and to stop condensation the bottles are cooled down slowly in a cooling machine, taking about 20 to 30 minutes.
We had a very good guide from Coca Cola who made our tour very enjoyable. At the end of the tour we saw a DVD in English of the production line. Also, we enjoyed a free, chilled, Coca Cola
Bottle drink!
Answers to the quiz:
1. 1910, during the Taishou Period.
2. Opened in 1972.
3. 200 countries around the world.
4. 1.6 billion drinks a day.
We all enjoyed lunch at the wonderful Pork Cutlet Restaurant in Niida.
