It's April 22nd, 1985 at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

54-year-old Roberto Gouisweta, CEO of the Coca-Cola company, steps onto a stage.

He pauses for a fraction of a second, just long enough to take in the sea of faces in the room.

Roberto is about to speak to Coca-Cola's bottlers, the independent partners who manufacture,

package, and distribute the company's famous soft drinks.

They're all critical to Coke's success, and without them, there's no way it would have become

one of the world's most famous brands.

But facing them today, Roberto feels his pulse quicken.

He knows the news he's about to deliver will come as a shock to the bottlers, and he has

no idea how they'll respond.

So Roberto gives a small signal toward the back of the room, and he has no idea how they'll respond. So Roberto gives a small signal

toward the back of the room, and servers file in, each carrying a tray of glasses filled with

what looks like Coca-Cola. The bottlers lean forward, intrigued. As the servers hand out the

drinks, Roberto steps up to the mic and makes a surprise announcement.

The bottlers are drinking Coca-Cola, but not as they know it now.

What they have in their glasses is new Coke, a completely revised recipe that will soon

replace the formula Coca-Cola has used for decades.

Murmurs ripple through the crown. The guests take tentative sips of the samples

and eyes narrow in concentration. They glance around, each judging the other's reactions.

Then one bottler stands and applauds. Another joins him. The ovation builds, and within moments

the entire room is on its feet. Roberto beams back at them.

It looks like his gamble is going to pay off.

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