Company History

      On April 28, 1926, R. A. "Red" Reynolds, J. M. Reynolds, and their half brother, Herbert Bland opened the doors of the Mellow Moon Bottling Company in Paragould. With an initial investment of $1,800, the three brothers began producing Mellow Moon flavor drinks in a building measuring 14 x 35 feet. It was strictly a three-man operation. The Reynolds twins were bottling all the soft drinks at the rate of 100 cases per day and Herbert Bland, as the only salesman, was traveling in a six county area.

      In 1929, the franchise to bottle Dr Pepper was acquired and the name was changed to Dr Pepper Bottling Company. The brothers continued to bottle their private brand of Mellow Moon flavors. In 1955, the Seven-Up Bottling Company was purchased and merged into existing operations. To complete the Company's line of soft drinks, franchises for Canada Dry, Royal Crown, Nehi flavors, A & W Root Beer, Welch's juices, Big Red, Mountain Valley Water, Diamond Water, Sunkist Orange, Welch's Grape, Mistic Flavors, Stewart's, Snapple, Moose Chocolate, Fuze and other flavors have been added. In 2004, the Company sold the Dr Pepper franchise to Pepsi Americas and Pepsi-Mid America and the name of the company is now Seven-Up Royal Crown Bottling Company.

      The Company has always been flexible and aggressive. In 1955, the Company recognized a need for servicing soda fountains and fast food restaurants. This led the Company to start a new venture, "The Mellow Moon Distributing Company". This new subsidiary, which incorporates the original Company name, featured a complete line of cups, syrups and various restaurant supplies. Today, Mellow Moon has expanded to serve as the contract-packaging branch of the Company. Mellow Moon Distributing Company sells a complete line of soft drinks to over 25 bottlers and distributors in six states throughout the Mid-South. In 1989, a trucking division, under the Mellow Moon name, was added to deliver product to contract packing customers and company branches. The trucking division also hauls raw materials and other freight for the company using 12 over-the-road trucks and over 26 trailers. The Company also uses the Mellow Moon brand name to market a complete line of generic soft drinks to wholesale grocers in the Mid-South.

      The original bottling company distributed soft drinks to approximately 150,000 people in six counties. Today, the same Company services sixteen counties in Arkansas, eight counties in Missouri and thirty-nine counties in Mississippi with a combined population of approximately 2.5 million. This expansion was made possible through the purchase of several bottling plants. The Company has distribution centers in Paragould, Arkansas and Jackson and Gulfport, Mississippi. All production is done in Paragould while distribution only is done at the branch locations. Independent distributors are used to market products in Harrison, Arkansas and Meridian, Mississippi.

      A production plant was completed in 1967 that housed a 10-ounce bottling line. A second line was added in 1974 to manufacture 2-liters and 3-liters. In 1984, a can line was added. An investment of $2 million in new canning and bottling equipment in 1989 gives the Company a total capacity of 22,000 cases per eight-hour shift. In 1995, the Company invested additional capital on the 10-ounce bottling line to produce 20-ounce and 1-liter plastic bottles with plastic closures.

      Today, the third generation of the Bland family is employed at Dr Pepper, Seven-Up, Royal Crown Bottling Company. The Company operates over 40 trucks, employs 100 people full-time and operates a production facility of over 115,000 square feet.

      The tradition set forth by Red, Marvin and Herbert and second-generation owners Bob and Francis Bland and Mary Lou Williams is carried on by aggressively selling Seven-Up, Royal Crown and many other products. Through the efforts of all employees, the Company is in a strong position to grow and prosper.