Contact: Cassandra Mickens, Coca-Cola UNITED
CassandraMickens@ccbcu.com
(205) 612-6779
For Immediate Release
Coca-Cola UNITED Breaks Ground on New $18M Facility in Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. (March 12, 2024) – Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. (UNITED) today broke ground on a new sales center in Auburn – an approximate $18 million investment. Construction is slated for completion in 2025 and the facility will employ approximately 75 people.
Auburn Coca-Cola Bottling Company will sit on approximately 15 acres off West Veterans Boulevard and include a sales center, warehouse and office space. The facility will serve as a hub to distribute products to customers and communities throughout Chambers, Coosa, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell and Tallapoosa counties, as well as Troup County in neighboring Georgia.
“Auburn Coca-Cola will help us serve our growing customer base in East Alabama, and it builds upon the long-standing relationship we already have with Auburn, given our partnerships with the university and our many customers in this community,” said Mike Suco, Coca-Cola UNITED President and CEO. “This investment is part of our company’s ongoing plan to optimize our distribution network in a way that benefits our associates, our customers and our communities.”
In 2023, Coca-Cola UNITED announced it would relocate its West Point, Ga., operations and lease an existing warehouse in nearby Auburn for the next two years. Last March, the company’s West Point facility was impacted after a severe storm moved through the area. Coca-Cola UNITED was already assessing long-term needs prior to the storm and had begun looking for nearby locations to build a larger and modern facility to serve the company’s business goals for the future.
“The storm damage sustained in West Point created an urgency to find a temporary facility in Auburn to first and foremost ensure the safety of our associates and continue our operations,” said Coca-Cola UNITED Central Region Vice President Ernie Merritt, adding the West Point community continues to be served at the highest standards.
All West Point-based Coca-Cola UNITED associates retained their jobs and have transferred to Auburn, said Allen Buffington, Auburn Coca-Cola Sales Center Manager. Buffington said he and his team are grateful for the warm welcome from the Auburn community.
“Our local relationships are very important to us and are essential to how we run our business day-to-day,” Buffington said. “We look forward to continuing our strong partnerships with the city of Auburn and surrounding communities in the years ahead.”
Local and community officials and leaders who attended today’s groundbreaking celebrated the news.
“I am excited to welcome such a renowned and established brand to Auburn,” said Auburn Mayor Ron Anders. “We are grateful for the investment Coca-Cola UNITED is making in our community and look forward to a strong partnership moving forward.”
Birmingham-based Coca-Cola UNITED, the second largest privately held company in Alabama, has manufactured and distributed Coke products throughout the state for more than a century. The company acquired the Auburn-Opelika territory in 2014.
– Stand UNITED –
About Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.
Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc., founded in 1902 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in North America and the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the U.S. Now with its fifth generation of family working in the business, Coca-Cola UNITED has more than 10,000 associates located in more than 50 facilities across six southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee). Historically significant franchises within our Coca-Cola UNITED family include Chattanooga, the world’s first Coca-Cola bottler; Atlanta, home of the worldwide Coca-Cola System; and Columbus, Georgia, development site of the original Coca-Cola formula.
Coca-Cola UNITED is engaged in the production, marketing, and distribution of a diverse portfolio of leading sparkling (Coca-Cola®, Diet Coke®, Coke Zero Sugar®, Dr Pepper®, Sprite® and Fanta®) and still (smartwater®, vitaminwater®, Dasani®, POWERADE®, BODYARMOR®, Fairlife®, Gold Peak®, Monster® and Minute Maid®) non-alcoholic brands under exclusive franchise agreements principally with The Coca-Cola Company®, Keurig Dr Pepper® and Monster Energy Company®.
For more than 120 years, Coca-Cola UNITED has remained true to its foundational core values of Quality, Excellence, Integrity and Respect. Local relationships, personalized customer service and strong community engagement have been the foundation of our business for more than a century. Each year, millions of dollars are invested in our local communities, supporting education, community development, sustainability and nonprofit organizations that empower and impact those in need. Learn more at cocacolaunited.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
