The Double Cola Co. world headquarters in Chattanooga.
The Double Cola Company's new energy drink Quad.Specialization is key to the newly formed relationship between Chattanooga soda maker Double Cola Co. and Soddy-Daisy drink distributor Budweiser of Chattanooga.
One makes things. The other distributes them.
And they're sticking to that.
The two companies announced Friday that henceforth, Budweiser of Chattanooga will carry and distribute Double Cola products in a five-county area consisting of Rhea, Hamilton, Marion, Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties.
Double Cola previously partnered with Chattanooga-based Carter Distributing Co. for distribution.
Megan Hallar, Double Cola spokeswoman, didn't elaborate on the change in distribution partners on Friday, saying only that there were "a variety of reasons," among them that Budweiser of Chattanooga and Double Cola officials see mutual benefit from this arrangement.
Hallar said she is personally excited about the new relationship with Budweiser of Chattanooga, and that she believes it will grow Double Cola's accounts in the area, although the geographic distribution area is actually a little smaller than when Carter carried Double Cola.
But Budweiser of Chattanooga will carry Double Cola lines locally that have either never been sold here or that haven't been sold here in a long time.
Budweiser of Chattanooga will carry Double Cola's Ski, Ski infraRED, Double-Dry Ginger Ale, QUAD Energy, MINOKU Coconut Water and Chaser lines. They'll be available wherever Budweiser of Chattanooga holds accounts.
Also, some Double Cola products will be available here for the first time in tw0-liter and 12-ounce glass bottles.
Budweiser of Chattanooga was already carrying QUAD Energy and MINOKU Coconut Water for Double Cola before the new contract went into practice. And positive experiences from that deal that helped tilt the scales in the distributors's favor.
"We've been really pleased with their execution and their enthusiasm for our brands," said Hallar.
And on the flip side, Budweiser of Chattanooga officials are also enthusiastic about what the Double Cola relationship holds.
"This is a growing piece of our business," said Tom Walsh, vice president of Budweiser of Chattanooga.
Though it's still a small part of the company's business, it's one that allows them to carry non-competing but profitable items on routes that Budweiser of Chattanooga drivers are already making.
"Our expense model is not duplicated," said Walsh. "Our expense to deliver the product is diluted by the fact that we are already there at the store level."
Budweiser of Chattanooga also carries products for Campbell's and Nestle.
The company, contrary to some popular belief or wishful thinking, does not make or bottle any of the products it delivers. It all arrives on trucks, goes into warehousing and is then loaded onto more trucks and carried to retail stores.
"We don't make the beer we sell. We don't make the soda we sell. We don't make the water we sell," said Walsh. "We are a distribution business."
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.