Cheerwine from Asheville, NC

[SODAPOPBOB]

This is probably the best I'm going to come up with. At least it's from the right time period. Notice it mentions six bottlers located in Asheville ...

1. Dr. Pepper
2. Frosty Root Beer [Frostie]
3. Royal Crown Cola
4. Orange Crush
5. Pepsi Cola
6. Seven Up

Maybe it was one of these six that bottled Cheerwine in 1952. Note: There were other bottlers in Asheville in 1951, such as Coca Cola, but apparently these six were the only ones that increased their price. I haven't found anything related to the Frostie Bottling Company in Asheville, but I do know the company had their own bottling plants which started around 1947.

From ...

The Robesonian (Newspaper) ~ Lumberton, N.C. ~ January 10, 1951

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Morb

If the Gastonia, N.C. Orange Crush company, which is about 125 miles northwest of Asheville, bottled Cheerwine, do you suppose the Orange Crush bottler in Asheville might have bottled it too?

The Gastonia Gazette ~ Gastonia, N.C. ~ December 1, 1949

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I haven't been able to find any specifics about the Asheville Orange Crush bottler yet, but I did find this about the Gastonia Orange Crush bottler ... Gastonia Gazette ~ October 17, 1950

 

[morbious_fod]

Good catch. I had forgotten that there was a Mint Cola bottle from Asheville.

 

[morbious_fod]

Frostie Root Beer could possibly be Asheville Beverage Company with another franchise, because it doesn't show up in the city directory as a stand alone company.

As for Orange Crush, I did mention that Johnson City's OC bottler also bottled Cheerwine after acquiring the franchise from the local Double Cola bottler after 1953, so anything is possible. Orange Crush of Asheville was once Biltmore Beverage bottlers of those great Biltmore Beverage acls. They also drop off the edge of the earth around 1952. I had thought of them, but I'm still thinking of the Asheville Beverage Company if the Frostie Root Beer mentioned is them then they were certainly actively searching for a leader brand while Orange Crush was a long established company that was slowly going out of business.

But that gives us two desperate companies trying to stay in business, each of which fail to do so by 1953 which puts a 1952 Cheerwine right in the realm of possibility for both.

 

[morbious_fod]

Knowing that there is a connection between Orange Crush/Biltmore Club of Asheville, NC and Durham, NC, I tried that angle hoping it might have the elusive 1952 issue of the city directory which might help clear it up; however, it appears that the Durham branch didn't even make it to the 1950's.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

But that gives us two desperate companies trying to stay in business, each of which fail to do so by 1953 which puts a 1952 Cheerwine right in the realm of possibility for both.

Could you please clarify which two companies you are referring to? Thanks

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

I did a follow-up on the Asheville Mint Cola Bottling Works and found the following ... ( But even though the 1920 snippet indicates they were located in Asheville and bottled Cheerwine at the time, it appears they were only in Asheville for about a year. ??? ) 1. 19202. September 1921

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Morb

I suspect you are aware of this website (or one similar to it) so this is primarily for other members who might like to do some searching of their own.

Asheville, N.C. City Directories ~ 1883 Through 1951

[URL=http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/books/asheville_city_directories/default_ashe_city_direct.html]http://toto.lib.unca.edu/..._ashe_city_direct.html

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

The link I posted in my last reply does not include a 1921 Asheville Directory but this one does. Mint Cola is not listed in the previous 1922 Directory but it does appear in this 1921 Directory.

1921 Asheville Directory ~ Includes Chero Cola - Coca Cola - Mint Cola - & Others


Super-long text but listed alphabetically ...

[URL=http://archive.org/stream/ashevillenorthca20mill/ashevillenorthca20mill_djvu.txt]http://archive.org/stream...northca20mill_djvu.txt

MINT-COLA BOTTLING CO, 15 Carolina la — phone 3764, J J Dell Mngr