Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is home to one of the world’s most recognizable brands—its signature Coke beverage. The soft drinks company has continued to expand in recent years; its 2019 acquisition of coffee chain Costa for $4.9 billion was the largest brand acquisition in the company’s 130-plus–year history. But like many others, Coca-Cola took a hit in 2020 owing to the pandemic. The company recently announced it was axing sales in the U.S. and Canada of its energy drink, Coke Energy, which debuted in January 2020 shortly before the pandemic forced millions of Americans into lockdown. In 2021, Coca-Cola joined a host of other major U.S. businesses in pledging $125 million to a fund dedicated to combating anti-Asian discrimination after a year in which the number of hate crimes against Asian Americans rose significantly.