Cova-cioa had to develop a bottling system and set up plants. The first bottling plant opened in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1894 and over the next 25 years, the number of plants rose from two to over a thousand. Other soft drink companies tried to imtate the coca cola taste so the company kept the drink's formula secret and searched for a distinctive pakage. in 1916, they introduced the frist bottle with the famous coca cola shape.