Coca Cola, came to France in 1919, when Raymon Aaron Linton registered the brand in France. French infantry officer Georges Delcroix started importing and selling the drink in Bordeaux. However, it was not popular as it was in the United States. It was the first major flavorful nonalcoholic beverage widely consumed, and it became even more popular during Prohibition.
In 1950, Coca Cola decided to boost the sales by marketing the product directly to the people. Under the slogan ‘Drink Fresh’ Coca Cola vans toured in the cities, towns and streets of France and distributed the samples to adults and children. The LIFE magazine photographer Mark Kauffman was there to photograph the genuine reactions of French people trying the drink for the first time. As these pictures show, the French didn’t initially find the ‘great taste of Coke’, all that great.
