Asa Candler
In 1887, Asa Candler, another Atlanta pharmacist, purchased the Coca-Cola formula from Pemberton for $2,300. Unfortunately, he died just a few years later- before Coca-Cola was the most famous fountain drink in America. Apparently, he was responsible for the popularity but using aggressive marketing techniques to sell the product.
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With Candler taking the lead, the company sales increased by an astonishing 4,000 percent between 1890 and 1900. The drink was marketed as a tonic and famously contained extracts of cocaine as well as caffeine-rich kola nut. Even though cocaine was legal until 1914, Chandler started taking cocaine out of the recipe in the early 1900s. However, the beverage may have had traces of cocaine in it until 1929- when scientists were able to effectively remove all the psychoactive elements in the coca-leaf extract.