3 arrested in plot to sell Coca-Cola secrets

Ruu_Old · 07-07-2006 1:27am #1

This reminded me of the Simpsons "Flaming Moe" episode, a bit of a wacky story here.

More on the story here

A Coca-Cola employee and two other people have been arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets and wire fraud, with the U.S. authorities saying they had tried to sell "highly classified" information to the soft drink maker's competitor PepsiCo for $1.5 million.

The recipe for Coca-Cola Classic, perhaps the company's most closely guarded secret, was never in jeopardy, said Ben Deutsch, a spokesman for Coca-Cola.

Instead, the information seems to be related to a beverage in development, though the Atlanta-based company declined to reveal more about the nature or scope of the thefts. Coca-Cola executives verified that the documents were valid and proprietary.

At least one glass vial containing a sample of a new drink was offered for sale, court documents said.

According to a criminal complaint filed in a U.S. federal court Wednesday, a letter postmarked May 8 and written on a Coca-Cola letterhead by someone who claimed to be a high-level employee at the company was mailed to executives at PepsiCo, offering "very detailed and confidential information" in exchange for cash.

pred racer · 07-07-2006 1:33am

they must have looked for too much for it.;)

Tar.Aldarion · 07-07-2006 1:41am

For a recipe of coke, I'd pay it.

Not for some new drink tough, probably kack anyway.

simu · 07-07-2006 1:43am

I've always wondered what veg the "veg extract" in coke comes from. I think it's probably certainly carrots and perhaps other things but looks like this thread will not enlighten me.

/sound of dashed hopes

John · 07-07-2006 1:51am

Actually, you know when someone enters a vegetative state...

simu · 07-07-2006 1:54am

John2 wrote:

Actually, you know when someone enters a vegetative state...

[charton heston]You mean... it's made.of.PEOPLE?????????[/charhest]

John · 07-07-2006 1:56am

If you play the music from the Coke christmas ads it says "Soylent Green for teh win!!!11!!!!11111111111" in Hebrew.

Paddy_Irishman · 07-07-2006 4:44am

if anybody remembers the old school trip to the coca-cola factory.

"Give that man a can of coke!" Fits rather well here

Ruu_Old · 07-07-2006 4:58am

Paddy_Irishman wrote:

if anybody remembers the old school trip to the coca-cola factory.

"Give that man a can of coke!" Fits rather well here

My brother did, remember him telling me about that.

Archeron · 07-07-2006 6:47am

Paddy_Irishman wrote:

if anybody remembers the old school trip to the coca-cola factory.

"Give that man a can of coke!" Fits rather well here

Were there Oompa Loompas?

Crucifix · 07-07-2006 7:11am

Apparantly the guys at Pepsi turned em in.

stevejazzx · 07-07-2006 8:48am

can't the recipe be deciphered scientifically in a lab? I think the idea of secret recipe s is a old one, I mean considering the amount of poeple who must of worked for coke at this stage and dealt with ordering/purchasing - there'd be loadsa people who know....actually a quick wiki confirms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula

Emmo · 07-07-2006 8:57am

If I didnt know better I would think that this was some huge publicity stunt.

Try new Cokeacola X the brand worth going to jail for!

Emmo

Ponster · 07-07-2006 9:22am

Crucifix wrote:

Apparantly the guys at Pepsi turned em in.

And too right too. Did they really think that Pepsi were going to pay them money for that?

GrumPy · 07-07-2006 9:27am

John2 wrote:

Actually, you know when someone enters a vegetative state...

lol

Peteee · 07-07-2006 11:35am

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/formula.asp

As far as I know the ingredients aren't the problem, its the quantities of them, and in what order, and how they are mixed.

And besides that the formula has changed (Cocaine was removed!)

Flashraziel · 07-07-2006 11:50am

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of...?

Coke?

Give that boy a can of coke!
That much sugar and a long bus journey home was a dangerous mix. Still, I got a ruler too!

muesli_offire · 07-07-2006 3:17pm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crucifix
Apparantly the guys at Pepsi turned em in.

And too right too. Did they really think that Pepsi were going to pay them money for that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke

slipss · 07-07-2006 5:00pm

stevejazzx wrote:

can't the recipe be deciphered scientifically in a lab? I think the idea of secret recipe s is a old one, I mean considering the amount of poeple who must of worked for coke at this stage and dealt with ordering/purchasing - there'd be loadsa people who know....actually a quick wiki confirms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula

That wiki says that most ingredients have been discovered but that the secret ingredient Merchandise 7X hasn't and has remained a secret since its invention in 1886. Also I'd imagine the exact proportin of the various ingrideints isn't known. I wonder what they do with all the leftover cocaine they remove from the coca leaves? probably burn it, what a waste.

Kwekubo · 08-07-2006 3:24am

Paddy_Irishman wrote:

if anybody remembers the old school trip to the coca-cola factory.

Ah that takes me back, I won six cans of fresh coca-cola in the quiz...

esskay · 08-07-2006 3:38am

I know a fella that did some work in a Coke factory. as far as I remember he said the ingredients arrive marked only with batch numbers and the actual "mix" is controlled remotely from the U.S.