Austin Coca-Cola Bottling Company Minnesota

Austin Coca-Cola Bottling Company P.O. Box 1028 Austin, Minnesota 55912 $0.29 U.S. Postage Meter AUSTIN JUL 25 '91 MINN.
Austin Minnesota BCN7661 
On August 8, 2002, second generation bottler Charles "Chuck" Wilson, owner of the Austin Coca-Cola Bottling Company, sold the 78-year-old family-owned company to Eagan, Minnesota-based Midwest Coca-Cola Bottling Company. As part of the transaction, Rochester Coca-Cola Bottling Company, owned by the Wilson family since 1957 was also sold to Midwest.

Chuck Wilson moved to Austin, Minnesota in 1924 when his father George purchased 50% interest in The Austin Bottling Works. He joined his father and brother in the bottling business in March 1947 when he returned home from serving in the Army Air Corps in Japan. After George passed away in 1956, the two brothers continued to expand the bottling business and acquired Rochester Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 1957. Jim retired in 1982 and Chuck bought out Jim's shares.

On December 1, 1986, Chuck and four other Coca-Cola bottlers bought the Pine City, Minnesota and Rice Lake, Wisconsin Coca-Cola Bottling companies and joined their franchise areas to form the St. Croix Valley Bottling Company. The business operations of St. Croix Valley was handled by Viking Coca-Cola Bottling Company of St. Cloud.

Coca-Cola bottler Chuck Wilson passed away on April 19, 2020.  He was 97 years old.

Austin Bottling Works, Inc. was founded in 1924 by George Wilson and his father-in-law Dr Charles Lewis. The first plant was located at 400 Second St. N.E.  Then the plant moved to 403 Fourth Ave. N.E. by 1930. In 1949, a new plant was constructed at 1600 First Ave. N.E and was in use until it was sold to Midwest Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

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