Independent Beverage Company

What Independent Beverage Company does

Independent Beverage Company, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a privately held contract beverage manufacturer operating a single cold-fill production facility near the I-77 and I-85 interchange. The company bottles and cans soft drinks, sparkling water, and other cold-fill beverages in PET and aluminum formats, serving three distinct customer streams: national brand co-packing (including Cheerwine, Canada Dry, Sun Drop, 7-Up, Sunkist, A&W, Country Time, Hawaiian Punch, and Sunny D), private label production for retailers, and contract pack arrangements. The company also produces and markets its own registered brand, CLEAR FROST, a flavored sparkling water line in six natural flavors (Cherry Limeade, Kiwi Strawberry, Peach, White Grape, Lemon Lime, Black Cherry) positioned as no-aspartame, no-sugar, and no-caffeine, distributed through regional southeastern grocery chains and food service distributors.

The company's core technology is conventional cold-fill PET bottle and can production with multi-format and multi-SKU flexibility across soft drink and sparkling water categories. Operations are SQF Food Safety certified, a recognized food safety standard required by major retailers and national brand customers. Pricing for contract manufacturing and private label work is negotiated per customer and is not publicly disclosed. Independent Beverage runs no disclosed external funding, has no parent company, and has not announced acquisitions, leadership changes, or capacity expansions in the source material.

The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven B2B: brand owners and retailers reach the company primarily through its website contact form, with a stated 2-3 business day response window. For the proprietary CLEAR FROST brand, distribution is executed through regional grocery chains (Lowes Foods, Ingles Markets, Roses Discount Stores, KJ's Market, Food City, Fareway, Lidl) and food service distributors (Merchants Distributors, Galaxy Food Stores), with consumer discovery driven by retail shelf placement rather than a digital marketing presence. The company employs 101-250 people and operates one main office/plant plus multiple warehouse and receiving locations clustered in the Charlotte area.

Name

Independent Beverage Company

Legal name

Independent Beverage Company, LLC

Website

https://independentbeverage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Independent Beverage Company, founded in 1991 in Charlotte, NC, is a private contract beverage manufacturer producing cold-fill PET and can soft drinks and sparkling water for national brands, private label retailers, and its own CLEAR FROST sparkling water brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Beverage Manufacturing

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111), Bottled Water Manufacturing (312112), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcoholic Beverage Blending, Bottling & Private Label (Non-Distilling) (AFAFAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB), Private Label Bottled Water Manufacturing (AFAFACAI)

Keywords

• Contract beverage manufacturing
• Cold-fill bottling
• Private label beverages
• Co-packing services
• Flavored sparkling water

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing / Co-Packing: Produces beverages for National Brand customers (e.g., Cheerwine, Canada Dry, 7-Up, Sunkist) and Private Label brands for retailers under contract manufacturing arrangements. Revenue is generated per-unit through manufacturing fees based on volume and packaging specifications.
2. Clear Frost Own Brand: Independent Beverage bottles and markets its own brand of flavored sparkling waters under the CLEAR FROST trademark, sold through retail grocery chains and regional distributors across the southeastern US.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Independent Beverage Company is a contract beverage manufacturer producing PET bottle and can soft drinks, sparkling water, and other cold-fill beverages for National Brand, Private Label, and Contract Pack customers. The company operates a single Charlotte, NC manufacturing facility and also produces and distributes its own CLEAR FROST brand of flavored sparkling water.

Product overview

Independent Beverage Company is a beverage manufacturing company that operates as a single unified production operation producing PET bottle and can soft drinks, sparkling water, and cold-fill beverages. They serve three customer segments: National Brand customers (brands including Cheerwine, Canada Dry, Sun Drop, 7-Up, Sunkist, A&W, Country Time, Hawaiian Punch, and Sunny D), Private Label brands for retailers, and Contract Pack customers. Their proprietary brand offering is CLEAR FROST™ flavored sparkling water, which they produce alongside co-packing arrangements with national brand partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CLEAR FROST™: Flavored sparkling water brand bottled by Independent Beverage Company. Available in six natural flavors: Cherry Limeade, Kiwi Strawberry, Peach, White Grape, Lemon Lime, and Black Cherry. No Aspartame, No Sugar, No Caffeine.

Products and services

• Contract Beverage Manufacturing / Co-Packing End-to-end cold-fill beverage production services for National Brand, Private Label, and Contract Pack customers. Independent Beverage bottles and cans various sizes and flavors of beverages in PET bottles and aluminum cans for brand owners including Cheerwine, Canada Dry, Sun Drop, 7-Up, Sunkist, A&W, Country Time, Hawaiian Punch, and Sunny D.
• Private Label Beverage Production Bottling and canning of private label store-brand beverages for grocery and discount retailers. Provides competitively priced private label beverage production with reliable supply and SQF Food Safety certified quality.
• CLEAR FROST Flavored Sparkling Water Independent Beverage's own brand of flavored sparkling water bottled in Charlotte, NC. Available in six natural flavors (Cherry Limeade, Kiwi Strawberry, Peach, White Grape, Lemon Lime, and Black Cherry) and formulated with no aspartame, no sugar, and no caffeine. Sold through regional grocery chains and distributors in the southeastern US.

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CheerwinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Cheerwine beverages as a co-packing partner. Cheerwine is a national brand of soft drink.
• Canada DrycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Canada Dry beverages as a co-packing partner. Canada Dry is a national brand of soft drinks and mixers.
• Sun DropcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Sun Drop beverages as a co-packing partner.
• 7-UpcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans 7-Up beverages as a co-packing partner for this national brand.
• SunkistcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Sunkist beverages as a co-packing partner for this national citrus-flavored soda brand.
• A&WcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans A&W root beer and other A&W brand beverages as a co-packing partner.
• Country TimecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Country Time brand beverages as a co-packing partner.
• Hawaiian PunchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Hawaiian Punch fruit punch beverages as a co-packing partner.
• Sunny DcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent Beverage Company bottles and cans Sunny D citrus-flavored drink as a co-packing partner.
• Lowes FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLowes Foods is a regional grocery chain across the southeastern US that stocks Clear Frost flavored sparkling water on its shelves as a retail distribution partner.
• Ingles MarketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIngles Markets is a regional grocery chain serving the southeastern US that carries Clear Frost flavored sparkling water in its stores.
• Roses Discount StoresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRoses Discount Stores is a regional discount retailer in the southeastern US that carries Clear Frost sparkling water.
• KJ's MarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKJ's Market is a regional grocery retailer serving the southeastern US that carries Clear Frost flavored sparkling water.
• Food CityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFood City is a regional grocery chain in the southeastern US that carries Clear Frost flavored sparkling water.
• FarewayminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFareway is a regional grocery chain operating across the midwestern and southeastern US that carries Clear Frost flavored sparkling water.
• Merchants Distributors (MDI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMerchants Distributors (MDI) is a regional food service distributor in the southeastern US that distributes Clear Frost sparkling water to retail and food service accounts.
• Galaxy Food StoresminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGalaxy Food Stores is a regional grocery chain in the southeastern US that carries Clear Frost flavored sparkling water.
• LidlcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLidl is an international grocery retailer with US operations that carries Clear Frost flavored sparkling water in its stores.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Refresco: World's largest independent beverage co-packer, producing soft drinks, juices, waters, and energy drinks for retailers and brand owners under private label and contract pack arrangements. Closest direct comparable to Independent Beverage's national-brand and private-label co-packing model, scaled across multiple geographies.
• Niagara Bottling LLC: Largest private-label bottled water manufacturer in the US, also producing flavored waters and CSDs for retailers. Directly comparable as a private label / contract beverage manufacturer with a multi-format cold-fill capability, although larger and water-led.
• Primo Water Corporation (incl. Cott): Public water and beverage company that acquired Cott, the historical leader in private-label carbonated soft drink and juice co-packing. Closely comparable as a private-label CSD and bottled water contract manufacturer serving major retailers.
• BlueTriton Brands: Formerly Nestlé Waters North America, manufactures Poland Spring, Deer Park, Arrowhead, and several regional water brands while offering contract and co-packing services. Directly comparable as a bottled water and beverage co-manufacturer with national retailer relationships.
• Crystal Geyser Water Company: Family-owned US bottled water and beverage producer with multiple plant locations, including sparkling and flavored water lines. Comparable as a privately held, multi-format beverage manufacturer with own-brand and contract capabilities.
• Polar Beverages (Polar Corp): Family-owned New England carbonated soft drink and sparkling water bottler that runs private label and contract production for regional and national customers. Closely mirrors Independent Beverage's profile: family/private ownership, regional density, multi-format CSD and sparkling water capability.

Broad incumbents

• National Beverage Corp: Owns LaCroix, Shasta, and Faygo while also producing private label and contract beverages. Comparable in business model mix (own brand + co-packing), but operates at materially larger scale and publicly reports financials.
• Keurig Dr Pepper: Owns multiple national brands Independent Beverage co-packs (Canada Dry, 7-Up, A&W, Sunkist, Country Time, Sunny D, Hawaiian Punch). Functions simultaneously as Independent Beverage's largest customer cluster and a broad incumbent with in-house manufacturing capacity that could be reallocated internally.
• Coca-Cola Consolidated: Largest US Coca-Cola bottler with southeastern US density and a growing portfolio of co-packing services for national brands and private label customers. Comparable as a regional co-packer with southeastern footprint, but operates at much larger scale within the Coca-Cola system.
• Swire Coca-Cola (CCBCC): A Coca-Cola bottler with significant southeastern US production and distribution, often running third-party and private label co-packing alongside core Coke volumes. Comparable in regional density and contract manufacturing capability, but anchored in the Coca-Cola system.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IndBevCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/IndependentBeverage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-beverage-company

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Beverage Company