FoodLogistics.com |

Plano, TX: Plano-based Cadbury Schweppes Bottling Group has recently acquired yet another bottling company--its sixth one in only 14 months. The newest acquisition is Southeast-Atlantic Beverage Corp., an independent bottling and distribution firm located in Jacksonville, FL. The acquisition is on the heels of a recent announcement by its parent company, London-based Cadbury Schweppes PLC, which said that its beverage unit will probably be sold in the near future.

Previous acquisitions by Cadbury Schweppes America involved the purchase of remaining shares of the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group (thereby creating the Cadbury Schweppes Bottling Group), as well as the acquisition of bottlers and distribution operations in Mississippi, Oklahoma and Northern California.

"The coast-to-coast footprint of our bottling group operations gives us the opportunity to produce our brands closer to the customer, which drives costs out of our supply chain," notes Larry Young, president and chief operating officer for Cadbury Schweppes Bottling Group. Southeast-Atlantic Beverage distributes beverages such as 7UP, Canada Dry and Snapple throughout Florida and Northern Georgia. It operates two manufacturing plants and 16 warehouses and distribution centers from Miami to Atlanta.