YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
At Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co., the Edwin “Cookie” Rice family has bottled beverages in Springfield for 105 years. Coca-Cola was introduced in 1886 by Dr. John Pemberton and first sold at a pharmacy in Atlanta. Aside from bottling Coke, Ozarks Coca-Cola’s portfolio of drinks includes a variety of flavored soft drinks, hydration, sports, nutrition, coffee and tea, juice and dairy beverages. Local officials say the company produces up to 375,000 cases of product per week and offers over 650 varieties of beverages across Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
SBJ: So, what’s the recipe for Coca-Cola?
Sally Hargis (vice president/chair): The Coca-Cola Co. owns the brand, and they own the formula. What they sell us as franchisees is concentrate. So, when we buy concentrate, when the bottler in North Dakota buys concentrate, or the bottler in Birmingham, Alabama, buys concentrate, it’s exactly the same. And that’s why every Coke across the North America continent has the same taste. We all use the same quality control measures when we produce it. We don’t know the formula and a lot of guesses have been made by those who would like to know it and replicate it. But so far, it’s still a secret.
SBJ: What is it about that beverage that has had such lasting power not only domestically but worldwide?
Hargis: Part of it is what consumers find in the memories of enjoying a Coca-Cola. So, you would associate the refreshment you get from drinking a Coca-Cola, whether it’s at your desk at work or whether it’s enjoying a festival with family and friends, or at a concert, you would generally associate the first sip of your Coca-Cola with a pleasant memory. The original goal of the product created in a pharmacy was a tonic, and it was supposed to make you feel better. And it still does today. But I think the feeling better part of it comes more from an association that anyone who consumes a Coca-Cola feels instantly refreshed and they feel better.
SBJ: Are there beverage distribution improvements that have been made or are planned for the company soon?
Hargis: You bet. In 2021, we opened a 435,000-square-foot warehouse. And then we added a second manufacturing line to produce plastic bottles. And just this year we are finishing up with the production of a can line and that building is currently finishing construction. It’ll be dedicated later this year. I think the imminent improvement is in our warehouse and automation, and that ought to improve the jobs of a number of people who work in the warehouse. It’s less physical movement of heavier cases. But warehouse automation is our next improvement of a capital nature.
SBJ: Do you see even more growth in the number of beverage product options of Coca-Cola as time goes on?
Hargis: Yes, and those decisions are made at the Coca-Cola Co., not by us. But yes, they have a really great history of innovation on flavor. So, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Orange Cream Coke, and all of those flavor innovations are important to the Coca-Cola Co. and they’re important to the brand, because new drinkers are coming into the portfolio every day and they’re all looking for a different taste.
Springfield event venue Belamour LLC gained new ownership; The Wok on West Bypass opened; and Hawk Barber & Shop closed on a business purchase that expanded its footprint to Ozark.
