Gabi Williams Coca Cola’s Sugar

My project is focused on Coca-Cola’s production process, but specifically following the company’s sugar route and role in Coca- Cola. This so far has taught me that there is a very extensive network and series of processes that take place in order for Coca-Cola’s manufacturing and deliveries can take place. Geographically, this relates heavily to globalization and the fact that this company uses over 250 bottling plants around the world. While their information is biased to say that this keeps them connected on both global and local levels, it is true. The scales of production vary intensely based on the fact that so many ingredients and factors go into this good.

The fact that Venezuela used to be a large source of sugar cane production and is no longer as of a year ago reflects the fact that geography is constantly fluid and spheres of interaction change quickly based on resources available. The workers in sugar cane farms are similar to those from Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies such that their conditions are quite poor with little benefit from the work. According to Coca-Cola, the company is working on their sustainability (and is doing well) and are making sure their workers have adequate conditions. They have posted more than five sugar studies in the last five years. However, there are so many different sugar farms and farmers that it is difficult to really see how well these encompass a farmer’s daily life or the quality of their work. While most of the readings from class focus on human interaction with their work and environment, this project is focusing more on the actual production chain of sugar. It connects well to globalization and views of landscape because of the distance everything travels and all the people that trade hands in the process of this. Usually we view production as very cut and dry, quick business. However, there are so many hands a Coke is passed through that we do not even consider when taking that first sip of a $0.99 can. Flack and Connell’s observations on geographies of consumption play a big role in connecting human involvement in everyday goods. They show that there is so much more to a product than what we would expect.

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