Refreshment Services
Refreshment Services, Inc. is a privately-held, family-owned independent Pepsi-Cola bottler founded in 1934, operating 7 distribution centers across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Florida. It distributes Pepsi beverages and snacks, plus equipment sales and repair services, to restaurants, convenience stores, and retailers in the central and southern United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1934
- HeadquartersSpringfield, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Refreshment Services does
Refreshment Services, Inc. (DBA: Refreshment Services Pepsi) is a privately-held, family-owned independent bottler and distributor of Pepsi-Cola products founded in 1934 in Taylorville, Illinois and now headquartered at 3400 Solar Avenue, Springfield, Illinois. The company operates 7 distribution centers across the central and southern United States—Burlington, Iowa; Decatur, Quincy, and Macomb, Illinois; Terre Haute, Indiana; and Tallahassee and Key West, Florida. Its employee base is reported at 251–500. As an authorized PepsiCo distributor, Refreshment Services holds exclusive distribution rights for Pepsi beverages and PepsiCo snack brands within its defined territory.
The business distributes beverages and snacks from PepsiCo and allied brands directly to B2B customers—primarily restaurants, convenience stores, and retail outlets—using a route-based delivery model out of each distribution center. Beyond core product distribution, the company generates ancillary revenue from selling and placing Pepsi point-of-sale equipment (coolers, fountain units, vending machines) at customer locations and operating a dedicated equipment repair hotline supported by service supervisors at each center. Go-to-market is fully direct via location-based general managers and sales managers; the corporate website provides online ordering and a "Place an Order" portal. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and quotes are issued per location.
Revenue mechanics are those of a traditional independent bottler: case-volume sales through DSD (direct-store-delivery) routes plus equipment placement/AMO (asset management) income, with no e-commerce marketplace, no app, and no disclosed recurring subscription contracts. Customer segments are split between primary B2B foodservice/retail (restaurants, convenience stores, retailers requiring dependable supply of branded beverages/snacks) and a secondary long tail of individual consumers reaching the brand via those retail customers. The leadership team comprises Mike Bartel (Vice President), Michelle Kimbro (CFO), and Elizabeth Bolletta (Director of IT) at the corporate level, with each distribution center run by a local general manager supported by sales managers and service supervisors. No M&A, no external funding events, no AI/ML capabilities, no patents, and no public revenue disclosures are present in the source material.
Refreshment Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Refreshment Services
- Legal name
- Refreshment Services, Inc.
- Website
- https://refreshmentservicespepsi.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1934
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Refreshment Services, Inc. is a privately-held, family-owned independent Pepsi-Cola bottler founded in 1934, operating 7 distribution centers across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Florida. It distributes Pepsi beverages and snacks, plus equipment sales and repair services, to restaurants, convenience stores, and retailers in the central and southern United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Refreshment Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beverage Distribution Services
- NAICS
- Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)
- SIC
- Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086), Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beverage (Non-Alcoholic) Foodservice Distribution (CRAOABAJ)
Keywords
Where Refreshment Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Springfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Refreshment Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Beverage and Snack Distribution: Revenue generated from distributing Pepsi-Cola products and other beverages and snacks to businesses and consumers across the central and southern United States through 7 distribution centers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Refreshment Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Refreshment Services, Inc. is a privately-held independent bottler and authorized distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages and snacks, operating seven distribution centers across the central and southern United States. The company supplies Pepsi-branded beverages and snacks to B2B foodservice and retail customers, supported by point-of-sale equipment sales and placement, customer order placement, and an equipment repair hotline.
Product overview
Refreshment Services Pepsi operates as a beverage distribution company serving as a privately-held independent bottler for Pepsi-Cola products. The company distributes Pepsi beverages and snacks through 7 distribution centers across the central and southern United States. Their service offerings include Pepsi POS equipment sales and placement, customer order placement services, and equipment repair/maintenance support. The company was established in 1934 in Taylorville, Illinois, and has grown to serve the Midwest and Florida regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pepsi-Cola Beverage and Snack Distribution Authorized distribution of Pepsi-Cola beverages and PepsiCo snack products to B2B foodservice and retail customers across the Midwest and Florida via seven distribution centers.
- Pepsi Point-of-Sale Equipment Sales and Placement Sale and placement of Pepsi-branded point-of-sale beverage equipment at customer locations across the company's Midwest and Florida territory.
- Equipment Repair Hotline and Field Service Telephone hotline and field service repair for Pepsi-branded point-of-sale equipment, supported by location service teams across the distribution network.
- Customer Order Placement Service Online and direct ordering service enabling customers to place beverage and snack orders via the website or by contacting their local distribution center.
Companies that use Refreshment Services
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Refreshment Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Refreshment Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PepsiCocoreRefreshment Services Pepsi is a privately-held independent bottler for Pepsi-Cola products. The company serves as an authorized distributor for PepsiCo products including Pepsi beverages and snacks across their 7 distribution centers in the central and southern United States.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Refreshment Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- McLane Company: One of the largest wholesale distributors in the U.S., supplying groceries, beverages, and foodservice items to retailers and restaurants nationwide. Comparable as a beverage and foodservice distribution provider serving similar B2B accounts, though broader in scope than a single-brand bottler.
Broad incumbents
- Cott Corporation (now Primo Brands): Large beverage manufacturer and route-based distributor serving retail and foodservice customers across North America with bottled water, coffee, and soft drinks. Comparable as a broad-incumbent DSD beverage distributor with overlapping customer base and equipment/service model.
- Keurig Dr Pepper: Major North American beverage company producing and distributing coffee, soft drinks, and water through DSD networks. Comparable as a broad incumbent in non-alcoholic beverages that operates bottling/distribution infrastructure serving overlapping retail and foodservice customers.
- Swire Coca-Cola USA: One of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the U.S., serving 13 states across the West and Midwest. Comparable as a large-scale Coca-Cola (rather than Pepsi) independent bottler-distributor with multi-state infrastructure; a broader incumbent that competes for the same type of foodservice and retail accounts.
Direct peers
- Pepsi Bottling Ventures: Largest independent Pepsi-Cola bottler in the United States, operating across multiple southeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Directly comparable as a privately-held authorized Pepsi bottler with multi-state distribution center operations serving similar B2B foodservice and retail accounts.
- Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling: Independent Coca-Cola bottler serving Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. Closely comparable mid-sized regional bottler with multi-state distribution operations targeting similar retail and foodservice customers as Refreshment Services in overlapping Midwest geographies.
- Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling: A division of Reyes Holdings and one of the largest independent Coca-Cola bottlers in the U.S., operating large-scale distribution centers across multiple regions. Directly comparable business model to Refreshment Services — regional independent bottler/distributor supplying beverages and snacks to retail and foodservice accounts with equipment and service layers.
- Coca-Cola Consolidated: The largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the U.S., publicly traded, operating across 14 states primarily in the Southeast and Midwest. Directly comparable regional bottler-distributor with similar route-based distribution, equipment services, and B2B customer mix to Refreshment Services.
Emerging players
- Monarch Beverage Company: Independent Coca-Cola bottler serving parts of the Midwest including Illinois markets that overlap with Refreshment Services' territory. Comparable mid-sized independent bottler serving adjacent geographies with similar B2B distribution model.
- Primo Water Corporation: North American provider of bottled water, water dispensers, and filtration services with DSD and route-based distribution. Partially comparable as a beverage route-distribution business, though focused on water rather than carbonated soft drinks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Refreshment Services social profiles
Digital presenceRefreshment Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Refreshment Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Refreshment Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Refreshment Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Refreshment Services
What does Refreshment Services do?
Refreshment Services, Inc. is a privately-held independent bottler and authorized distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages and snacks, operating seven distribution centers across the central and southern United States. The company supplies Pepsi-branded beverages and snacks to B2B foodservice and retail customers, supported by point-of-sale equipment sales and placement, customer order placement, and an equipment repair hotline.
Is Refreshment Services a public or private company?
Refreshment Services is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Refreshment Services founded?
Refreshment Services was founded in 1934. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Refreshment Services based?
Refreshment Services is headquartered in Springfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does Refreshment Services make money?
One revenue line is on record: beverage and Snack Distribution.
Who are Refreshment Services's main competitors?
McLane Company is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Cott Corporation (now Primo Brands), Keurig Dr Pepper and Swire Coca-Cola USA. Direct peers are Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling and Coca-Cola Consolidated. Emerging players are Monarch Beverage Company and Primo Water Corporation.
Does Refreshment Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Refreshment Services.
What industry is Refreshment Services in?
Refreshment Services's product category is Beverage Distribution Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOABAJ, Beverage (Non-Alcoholic) Foodservice Distribution. Its NAICS code is 312111 and its SIC code is 2086.