At the heart of communities are people and the organizations and businesses that serve those people. In the beverage market, the bottlers in those communities might be directly serving the retailers and foodservice outlets, but ultimately, they are serving the consumers that purchase those products.

With operations across 14 states and Washington, D.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated understands it takes working together with its communities, customers and consumers to be successful in the competitive consumer packaged goods space.

“At Coca-Cola Consolidated, we strive to fulfill our purpose — to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence, and to grow profitably,” says Dan Holmes, senior vice president of commercialization and brand marketing at Coca-Cola Consolidated. “At the core of our culture is a focus on service. Our teammates have a passion for serving each other along with our consumers, our customers and our communities.”

As the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, Coca-Cola Consolidated makes, sells ,and distributes trademark beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, as well as its partner companies, for a portfolio totaling more than 300 brands and flavors, Holmes notes.

Serving approximately 60 million consumers, Coca-Cola Consolidated’s operations are comprised of 11 manufacturing facilities, 60 distribution and sales centers as well as its Charlotte, N.C.-based corporate offices. It also owns Red Classic Transportation, one the largest transportation providers in the United States, moving freight and providing fleet maintenance for Coca-Cola Consolidated and some of today’s most recognized brands, it shares.

The Coca-Cola bottler also is known for its sustainability commitments. Coca-Cola Consolidated’s commitment to sustainability started with its long-standing partner Charlotte Motor Speedway identifying opportunities for recycling diversion and to encourage patrons of the Coca-Cola 600 to recycle aluminum and plastic bottles. This led the company to expand efforts across the city and its territory.

Coca-Cola Consolidated works with customers such as Clemson University, Spectrum Center, Nissan Stadium, Geodis Park and most recently Rupp Arena, to educate consumers about recycling benefits, hosting collection events and programs throughout their territory and support in-venue closed loop systems to recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

This past fall, Coca-Cola Consolidated and its teammates responded to the devastating impact caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina and neighboring states by providing food and water, hygiene kits and baby essentials to help with cleanup, along with financial support.

Additionally, Coca-Cola Consolidated’s dedicated response team of trained volunteers assisted in the hardest hit areas by removing downed trees, clearing dangerous debris, setting up food pantries, and providing hot meals for its impacted team members, residents, and hungry volunteers.

Teammates across its 14-state territory also participated in various volunteer relief efforts, including eight company-organized packing events. These packing events resulted in the creation of nearly 6,000 hygiene and care kits, which were distributed by Convoy of Hope, a faith-based, humanitarian-relief nonprofit.

The company also shared that more than 200 Charlotte teammates packed 10,000 emergency food boxes for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, while team members in Boone, N.C., assisted Samaritan’s Purse with debris cleanup and more for local residents.

The bottler’s dedication to its communities as well as its continued success are among the reasons that Coca-Cola Consolidated has been named Beverage Industry’s 2025 Bottler of the Year.

Beverage performance

With such a vast portfolio, Coca-Cola Consolidated is delivering the diverse refreshment and hydration needs consumers want.

“Like the products featured in many of the commercials of the beverages that we manufacture, Coca-Cola Consolidated’s core portfolio is comprised of sparkling soft drinks, a category which accounts for approximately two-thirds of total portfolio revenue,” Holmes notes.

“Sparkling soft drink brand market share is often rooted in decades of brand building and purchase history,” Holmes continues. “When combined with our powerhouse Coca-Cola products, our regional brands create an entire portfolio that offers even more benefit to our customer base.”

Beyond The Coca-Cola Company trademark products, Coca-Cola Consolidated also has distribution agreements across select geographies within its total company footprint with Keurig Dr. Pepper and the Ale 8 Ginger Ale portfolios, Holmes explains. “This allows for portfolio diversification,” he adds.

Outside of sparkling soft drinks, the bottler’s portfolio features products in energy drinks, sports drinks, various water categories, ready-to-drink tea, juice, coffee, dairy and protein drinks. Yet, even with such a robust portfolio, Coca-Cola Consolidated will be expanding its offerings to partners and consumers even more.

“There are so many innovative products that have added value to our business,” Holmes says. “But to name just a few ― Coca-Cola Orange Cream (also in zero sugar) offers a slightly different twist on the Coca-Cola trademark. We have just recently launched Topo Chico Mineral Water, which enables us to expand our participation in the premium sparkling water category. And our friends at Monster Energy continue to produce winning innovation with their Monster Ultra portfolio with the recent launches of Monster Ultra Vice Guava and Monster Ultra Blue Hawaiian ― also in zero sugar.”

Holmes explains that in the year to come the company has high performance expectations for its sparkling soft drinks but also calls attention that its portfolio strategy is to provide its partners a diverse array of products that allows the company to appeal to a plethora of consumer demographics and choices.

“Nothing is more iconic than a Coca-Cola glass bottle, so continued growth in glass remains a key priority,” Holmes says. “Our mini portfolio, consisting of both mini cans and mini bottles, continues to resonate with shoppers while expanding households, and we’ve seen an uptick in our value package portfolio in products such as 1.25-liter bottles and six-pack sparkling flavors.”

As an industry, more than 60% of beverages are zero sugar and the Coca-Cola System has recently invested in Topo Chico. From diet, zero sugar and water options, this expansion has allowed Coca-Cola Consolidated to provide its customers and consumers with even more choices.

“Our zero-sugar portfolio is No. 1 in the industry, and we have continued growth expectations for both existing products and new introductions,” he says. “We also expect growth in the large categories of energy and sports drinks, and our protein products continue to accelerate at a fast rate.”

Coca-Cola Consolidated also recognizes that today’s beverage manufacturing and distribution continues to evolve, and it remains committed to crafting the programs and strategies that serve its partners and their specific needs.

“We work hard to develop channel-specific commercial strategies that meet our customers’ needs,” Holmes says. “We focus on providing products that turn customer inventory investments into profit to run their businesses.”

Positioned for success

To support its partners, Coca-Cola Consolidated’s manufacturing facilities, and distribution, and warehouse centers are equipped with the tools to keep evolving to meet the needs of its consumers and customers.   

For instance, the bottler has adopted warehouse automation through the use of the Vertique system.

“The state-of-the-art Vertique system is a semi-automated solution that improves warehouse productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and working conditions,” Holmes says. “[It is] known as the ‘distribution system of the future.’”

The company also has invested in their teammates through modernizing tools to support their work. Through systems like Vertique, the company has modernized technology to allow for teammates to be more productive and efficient, the company says. They have also upskilled teammates to take on new, higher-level roles, focusing on career growth, it adds.

With so much of the year in store for 2025, Coca-Cola Consolidated has positioned itself to build upon its service and success.