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Coca-Cola and KFC's secret formulas are safe--for now

By Emily Ngo, amNewYork Nation/World Editor The famed formula behind its soda -- under wraps for 122 years and stowed in an Atlanta bank vault -- is rarely accessed. Executives won't even disclose how many employees know the formula, acknowledging only that the number is low. "The mystique of the secret formula is part of the brand's DNA," said Phil Mooney, director of Coca-Cola's archives department. "We don't provide much specific information about it." Despite plots to sell the recipe to rival companies and claims of replication, Coca-Cola's original formula remains among the world's best-kept trade secrets. The beverage behemoth isn't the only brand to legally protect its economic advantages. Kentucky Fried Chicken's original "11 herbs and spices" recipe, handwritten by Col. Sanders 68 years ago, was transferred earlier this month from a Louisville safe to an undisclosed location. The yellowing parchment is now protected by motion sensors and laser beams, said KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow. http://www.amny.com/business/am-recipes0918,0,4747234.story

Full post as published by The Trade Secrets Vault on September 18, 2008 (boomark / email).