Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company

Coca Cola Logo

In 1894, Joseph A. Biedenharn of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was the first to bottle Coca-Cola. Prior to that date, Coca-Cola was only available as a fountain drink. Mississippi rapidly became the hot-spot for Coca-Cola sales.

The Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company began operation as a Mississippi corporation in 1906 in a rented building that was only 30 by 50 feet in size. The company sold 175 cases in its first week and deposited $80.55 in its bank account.

A second plant in Hattiesburg was the Hattiesburg Bottling Works that opened around the turn of the century. The plant, located in a two-story building on Main St., was noted for Jarvis Celery Tonic as well as soda water.

As of today the Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company is one of the top distributors/manufacturers in the city of Hattiesburg with 275 employees.

(Lucky manuscript 1979; McComb Chamber of Commmerce 1925; McCarty 1982:39; Munsey 1972:303; Hattiesburg American 8/20/1981; EPT 11/28/1959 1:2; 6/28/1977 G13:1; EPHP 11/27/1959 1:6).

[from http://alamo.nmsu.edu/~lockhart/EPSodas/Chapter8/8a/chap8a.html,
http://www.hattiesburgms.com/i1.html and
http://www.hubcitycommerce.com/Coke/index.html]