Beginning in November, residents of Delmarva (the peninsula made up by Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia) will be able to find Cheerwine. For the first time, the soft drink will be available in all retail outlets in Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC (PBV)'s Delmarva franchise.
"Our move into the Delmarva area is very exciting for us and consumers in the region, many of whom have [image-nocss] only heard of this magical soft drink but never tasted it," said Tom Barbitta, vice president of marketing for Cheerwine. "The kicked-back personality of Cheerwine is something that consumers really identify with, and is a key reason we continue to experience positive growth."
Created in 1917 by L.D. Peeler, the Cheerwine brand is still privately held by the same family today and is one of the oldest family-owned soft drink companies in the country. Jim Leland, Cheerwine's vice president of sales, expects the American-born-and-produced soft drink's back-story will resonate with Delmarva residents.
"Cheerwine's success and the uniqueness of the brand gives us great confidence that it will do well in Delmarva. We're excited to to be able to introduce this superb soft drink to our local consumers." said Paul Finney, senior vice president of sales for PBV.
Beginning in 2009, Cheerwine unveiled a marketing campaign that incorporated a heavy dose of digital elementsa new website, viral videos and highly targeted online banner advertisements.
Owned and distributed by the Carolina Beverage Corp. and Cheerwine Bottling Co. in Salisbury, N.C., the 92-year-old company is still privately owned and managed by the same founding family; four generations of whom have worked there. Cliff Ritchie leads Cheerwine as president and CEO. It is available in supermarkets and convenience stores in select states nationwide.
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