HISTORY

Black and white photo of a brick building with sign that reads 'Carolina Canners, Inc' and logos for Dr. Pepper, Pepsi-Cola, and 7UP, with vintage cars parked in front.

1968

CCI was born out of necessity when the absence of a dependable source for canned Pepsi-Cola products in the Carolinas inspired a group of 36 independent Pepsi bottlers in North and South Carolina to invest in a joint venture to meet a shared need. And in 1968, Carolina Canners, Inc. was built under the leadership of Bobby Avent of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Bennettsville, SC and Brantley Burnett of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Roxboro, NC.

A manufacturing machine with multiple rotating sections filled with small bottles in a factory setting.

1972

CCI added a bottling line to fill non-returnable bottles for its customers. CCI not only produced cans, bottles, and fountain syrup for its stockholders and surrounding bottlers, but it also supplied our troops in Europe and the Middle East with quality Pepsi-Cola products.  CCI also served as a joint purchasing agent for many of the Carolina area bottlers.

A vintage Pepsi delivery truck with large Pepsi logos and red, white, and blue color scheme parked on a suburban street with trees in the background.

1982

CCI purchased Pepsi Cola of Greenville from Mr. Tom Hartness. Pepsi of Greenville and Pepsi of Florence remain some of the few independent and privately-owned Pepsi franchises in the country today. In fact, the Carolinas is one of the few regions in the country where a number of original, family-owned Pepsi franchises still exist and are operated by descendants of their founders. Some Carolina Pepsi franchises have remained in the same family for over 100 years!

A modern building with large glass windows and a Pepsi logo on the front, surrounded by a parking lot and a few leafless trees in front.

2005

In 2005 CCI expanded once again by purchasing Pepsi-Cola of Florence, SC along with a Canteen full line vending franchise, Pee Dee Foodservice and catering company, Pee Dee Catering.

Four people in business attire and white hard hats holding shovels at a groundbreaking event in front of a large advertisement for Pure Leaf sweet tea.

2017

A Pasteurized Bottle Line was added, and a new company called Southeast Hot Fill (SEHF) was formed. CCI expanded its existing building by 45,000 square feet and added new, state-of-the-art equipment to allow production of Lipton Pure Leaf tea, among other products.

Group of children and adults wearing yellow shirts in line for a food buffet outdoors under trees.

2018

CCI celebrated its 50th Anniversary, by hosting a variety of events for employees and shareholders throughout a three-day celebration in November, 2018. The celebration culminated in a family picnic at the Cheraw State Park, where over 500 employees and family members joined the celebration and were treated to lunch catered by Pee Dee Foods, and of course plenty of Pepsi! It was truly special to commemorate such a tremendous milestone, while recognizing the hard work and dedication of so many! 

Stacks of compressed aluminum cans and cardboard bales at a recycling facility, with machinery and a large storage tank in the background.

2019

A centralized recycling operation was added for CCI’s bottling partners to process for recycling raw materials to include PET bottles, aluminum cans, plastic shrink wrap and stretch film, plastic strapping, corrugated and paperboard, plastic drums, and pallets. 

A large group of people standing outside a white building with the sign 'Carolina Canners, Inc.' on it. Some people are holding gold balloons forming the number '125'. Many are wearing white t-shirts with a blue and red logo.

Present

Today, CCI supplies many of the original stockholders and neighboring bottlers with the highest of quality soft drinks from a very modern production center still located in Cheraw, SC. CCI has expanded many times and now has a flexible can production line equipped with three fillers, two bottle production lines, a hot-fill pasteurized bottling line and a fountain syrup production line producing numerous brands, flavors, and packages of water, fruit juice drinks, tea, energy drinks and carbonated and non- carbonated soft drinks.