COKE

Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc.

A maker and distributor of Coca-Cola beverages, Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, producing, marketing, and delivering hundreds of brands—from Coke, Sprite, and Fanta to Dasani water and sports drinks—across 14 states and the District of Columbia. Its roots trace to 1902, when J.B. Harrison and two partners began bottling Coca-Cola in the Carolinas, and the "Consolidated" in its name reflects the 1973 merger of several family-owned bottling operations into one company. In the earliest days, workers washed refillable bottles by hand, sealed them with corks, and delivered the finished drinks by horse-drawn carriage.