Atlantic Bottling Company would like to welcome you to the very first blog post on our brand new, beautiful website! Thanks for visiting!
As individual bloggers typically take a moment to introduce themselves, we are going to run the same course, and highlight our intentions of this #AtlanticCokeBlog.
Essentially, we’re a company that wants to be your neighbor. Because that’s who we are.
We’d like you to know who we are, what we are looking forward to and what we’re up to. We hope that these posts will give you an insight into the Coca-Cola world, and we can share our love for Coca-Cola together.
So, welcome!
As you could probably read in our About Page, which is in more of a professional manner, we wanted to really take a deep dive into who we, Atlantic Bottling Company, are.
We're Family Owned and Operated
Everything started with Frank P. “Perk” Tyler, who began an ice cream and ice business in Villisca, Iowa around 1905. In 1909 he sold the business to his sons Royal, Harry and Henry Tyler who, in 1915, expanded by producing soda named “Tyler’s Flavors.”
Sales were so strong that the brothers acquired a creamery in Clarinda, Iowa. In the creamery’s safe they found a franchise contract for Coca-Cola. The Tyler’s had heard of this product and its success elsewhere, but at the time, Iowans weren’t familiar with it.
The Tyler’s began making Coca-Cola, adding a few bottles to the cases of Tyler’s Flavors. In no time, Iowans were requesting more Coke (because it was so delicious!).
In 1923 Royal sold his interest to Harry and Henry, who continued expanding the business by purchasing four additional bottling companies in Shenandoah, Atlantic, Creston, Iowa and Grand Island, Nebraska. In 1929 they acquired the franchise rights for Atlantic to bottle and distribute Coca-Cola.
Going All in on Soft Drinks
By 1930, the Tyler Brothers had decided to sell their ice cream business and concentrate fully on soft drinks. In 1949, Harry and Henry divided their business by drawing straws. Harry got Atlantic and Creston; Henry got Shenandoah and Grand Island.
Harry’s son Jim was managing the company by 1958, serving customers in a 60-mile radius of Atlantic with Coca-Cola, 7-Up and Tyler’s Flavors products. The company had 16 employees then; ten years later there were 40 employees and the company had added Squirt, Dr. Pepper, Frostie Root Beer, Tab and Like to its lineup.
On April 1, 1975, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling purchased the Des Moines area Coca-Cola franchise, and burgeoned the brand’s presence and popularity. This was accomplished in large part due to Jim’s son, Kirk Tyler, who was placed in charge of sales for the company in 1981.
Expanding the Territory
By the late 1980s, the growth of Coca-Cola in Des Moines required more space than the Tyler’s existing facility could hold, so in 1989 the Des Moines operation moved into its warehouse and sales center on Hickman Road in Waukee. In 1991, Kirk Tyler was named President of Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, and Jim became Chairman of the Board of Directors.
On September 30, 2016, we, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company announced that it closed a transaction with The Coca-Cola Company for expanded territory distribution rights. We then assumed territories in areas that surround distribution centers located in Mason City, Ames, Spirit Lake, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Ottumwa, Iowa, and in the Quad Cities area in Illinois.
Here we are, in 2020
Wow, what a crazy ride it has been. We cannot thank our employees, customers and partners enough for the growth and success we have had.
With over 800 employees, we produce over 7 million cases each year and recycle over 4 million pounds each year.
We produce and distribute Coca-Cola products for almost all of Iowa, parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. We have 9 different branches throughout Iowa with headquarters in Atlantic, Iowa.
In a nutshell, or Coke Can, that’s who we are. We strive to create new customer relationships and strengthen the ones we have every day.
Intentions of this blog
We want to share our hopes, dreams, what we are passionate about on this blog to hopefully find those who are passionate about the same things.
We’ll highlight the amazing people in this community, our partners, events, how we are giving back, and how our employees are changing the world, on and off the clock.
We look forward to interacting with our readers, sharing amazing stories and our passion for Coca-Cola and the Midwest community.
