Cameron Coca-Cola facts for kids
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| Industry | Beverage bottling |
|---|---|
| Fate | Purchased by Coca-Cola Enterprises in 1998 |
| Successor | Cameron Family Glass Packaging LLC |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Headquarters | |
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Area served
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Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio |
| Owner | The Cameron Family |
Cameron Coca-Cola Bottling Co. was a large company that bottled and sold Coca-Cola drinks. It was located in Washington, Pennsylvania. The company was owned by the Cameron family for a long time.
Cameron Coca-Cola started in 1889 as Cameron Flavorings. In the early 1900s, the company began working with Coca-Cola. They had bottling plants in Washington, Pennsylvania, Houston, Pennsylvania, Wheeling, West Virginia, and Canton, Ohio.
In 1996, the company updated its factories. They switched to using natural gas for their operations. This change was helped by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The company bought Coca-Cola syrup, mixed it, and then delivered the drinks. By the late 1990s, Cameron Coca-Cola was very successful. It was the 10th largest Coke bottler in the country. It was also the second longest-running family-owned Coke bottler.
Cameron Coca-Cola made special deals with local schools. They paid schools to be the only company allowed to sell Coke on school grounds. For example, they paid the Hampton Township School District $40,000 over seven years. They also paid the Upper St. Clair School District $50,000 over five years. With the Quaker Valley School District, Cameron bought new scoreboards. In return, their logo was placed on the scoreboards. They also got exclusive rights to sell drinks at the school. They had a similar deal with the Woodland Hills School District.
The company also sponsored events. They supported championship harness racing at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino. Cameron Coca-Cola was also a main sponsor of the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Fair.
The Cameron Family and Giving Back
The leader of the Cameron family, Wilfred Cameron, passed away in 1999.
The Cameron family has a strong connection to Washington & Jefferson College. This college is also in Washington, Pennsylvania. Many family members attended the college. Three Camerons even served on the college's Board of Trustees. Winnie Cameron, who was on the board, received special awards from the college.
In 1999, the family made a huge donation of $2.65 million. This was one of the biggest gifts in the college's history. It helped redesign and expand the College Field. This field was then renamed Cameron Stadium. The family also helped fund digital scoreboards. These were at the Henry Memorial Center and Ross Memorial Park and Alexandre Stadium. In 2006, the family was honored for their support of the college's sports programs.
Cameron Coca-Cola Joins a Bigger Company
In 1998, Coca-Cola Enterprises bought Cameron Coca-Cola Bottling. Coca-Cola Enterprises is the largest Coke bottling company in the world. This deal was part of a bigger plan. Coca-Cola Enterprises wanted to bring all Coke distribution under one roof. This was happening during the "Cola Wars" against Pepsi. In total, Coca-Cola Enterprises spent $770 million to buy Cameron and five other bottlers.
New Beginnings: Cameron Family Glass Packaging
After selling the bottling company, the Cameron family started a new business. In 2008, they moved their operations to Kalama, Washington. This new company was called Cameron Family Glass Packaging LLC. Their goal was to make wine bottles for the wine industry.
They built a large wine bottling plant. It cost $109 million to build. This was the first new glass plant in the U.S. in over 30 years. It was also the first to focus only on wine bottles. The plant was designed to be "eco-friendly." It used an electric furnace powered by clean hydroelectricity from the Columbia River. The plant made bottles for many Washington wines.
Unfortunately, the company faced a challenge. In 2009, a furnace broke down. This caused a lot of damage. The company had to file for bankruptcy. However, production started again under new owners in 2010.
