Southern Beverage Company

WHEN YOU WALK INTO A FACILITY LIKE THIS, YOU'RE PRETTY MESMERIZED BY JUST THE MASSIVE SIZE OF IT. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING HERE AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE PRODUCING. HOW DID YOU GUYS KIND OF GET INTO THIS BUSINESS AND, YOU KNOW, HOW DID SOUTHERN BEVERAGE COMPANY START? MY FATHER STARTED THE COMPANY WITH MY MOTHER IN 1939. AND THIS WILL BE OUR FOURTH LOCATION WHEN I STARTED FULL TIME IN 1964, AFTER MY SERVICE IN THE AND THE GOING TO COLLEGE, WE HAD 12 ITEMS IN THE WAREHOUSE. NOW WE HAVE OVER 1500 ITEMS. UH, CHRIS HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR BUSINESS. HE IS THE MARKETING DIRECTOR. UH, AND WE DTRIBUTE MAINLY ANHEUSER-BUSCH PRODUCTS. BUDWEISER, MICHELOB AND BUD LIGHT IS OUR MAIN ITEM. BUT WE ALSO DISTRIBUTE, UH, WATER CORE WATER, ESSENTIAL WATER, 7UP, RC MANY OTHER PRODUCTS. I N W UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER THEM ALL. I'LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH, THERE'S SO MANY PRODUCTS IN THE WAREHOUSE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHOWING YOU THAT FACILITY. YEAH, YEAH. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A BUSINESS LIKE THIS IN MISSISSIPPI? I MEAN, WE'RE A SHOW THAT REALLY LIKES TO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, THE GRGREAT THIN THAT MISSISSIPPI AND D THEN THE JACKN METRO AND OUR DMA HAS TO OFFER WHEN YOU HAVE THE FOUR FACILITIES, WHEN YOU HAVE THESE IN COMMUNITIES IN MISSISSIPPI, YOU KNOW, DOES THAT TOUCH YOU, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALLY? YEAH, I THINK A COMPANY THIS SIZE, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TRY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE SPONSORING EVENTS, WHETHER IT'S FROM AN ALCOHOL STANDPOINT OR ALL THOSE NON BRANDS THAT MR. CASAS MENTIONED. I MEAN WE LIKE TO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US. I MEAN, YOU DON'T GET TO WHERE WE ARE FROM 1939 WITHOUT YOUR COMMUNITY. SO YEAH. AND FOR YOU, I MEAN, I GOT TO THINK COMMUNITY IS A BIG THING IN YOUR LIFE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WAY THAT YOU GUYS STARTED THIS BUSINESS. YES. WE'VE BEEN SPONSORING FRIENDS MISTLETONE MARKETPLACE, SUPPORTING THE JUNIOR LEAGUE. I THINK THIS IS COMING UP THE 44TH. THE FOURTH YEAR WE WERE THERE, THE FIRST YEAR. SO WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR 40 SOMETHING YEARS. WE'VE BEEN SPONSORING THE FAIR AND THE DIXIE NATIONAL RODEO FOR 40 YEARS. AND OF COURSE, WE SPONSOR MANY CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS AND WE LOVE IT. YOU KNOW, LOVE TO GO OUT AND GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND, Y YOU KNOW, THE WHEREABOUTS AND THE HOSPITAL AND ALL THE OTHER COMMUNITIES, CHARITIES HERE. WE SPONSOR. I'M GUESSING YOU'VE WORKED FOR SOME OTHER COMPANIES IN YOUR LIFE. IS IT DIFFERENT WORKING FOR SOMEWHERE THAT IT FEELS SO, YOU KNOW, FAMILY AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR THE COMMUNITY? WELL, ACTUALLY. SO I STARTED TWO SUMMERS WHILE I WAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE. STILL WORKING FOR SOUTHERN BEVERAGE. SO I'VE WORKED I'VE WORKED HERE 12 YEARS. SO. SO YOU'VE NEVER WORKED ANYWHERE? NO. SO YOU NAILED IT WHEN YOU SAID FAMILY. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN LIKE FAMILY SINCE DAY ONE. AND 12 YEARS LATER, IT'S LIKE FAMILY AS WELL. SO YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S RARE TO SEE PEOPLE STAY AT A BUSINESS FOR THAT LONG. YOU KNOW, NOWADAYS. BUT IT'S LIKE, HEY, I LOVE THIS PLACE FOR YOU. YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY,Y, YOU TALABOUT THE CHARITY STUFF. SO IT'S MORE THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU GUYS DO ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. WELL, DAY TO DAY BASIS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE WAREHOUSE AND A FEW MINUTES, BUT WE BASICALLY RECEIVED PRODUCT FROM OUR SUPPLIERS. WE PUT IN THE WAREHOUSE AND WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT PICK THE ORDERS. THE SALESMEN ARE OUT SELLING THE PRODUCT, AND WE PICK ORDERS ONE DAY AND DELIVER THE NEXT. WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS WAREHOUSE? WELL, WE LOVE IT. IT'S VERY EFFICIENT. I MEAN, WHERE WE WERE BEFORE, WE WERE PRETTY CROWDED. WE THINK IT'S IN A GREAT LOCATION. AND, UH, WE'RE ABLE TO MODERNIZE HERE, YOU KNOW? RIGHT. AND AND HOW BIG IS IT, REALLY? I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T STEPPED IN IT JUST YET. AND I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE GETTING TO SEE THE VIDEO AS WE'RE DOING THIS INTERVIEW, BUT WE'RE ABOUT TO GO SEE IT. I MEAN, THIS THING'S PRETTY MASSIVE, ISN'T IT? YEAH. AND JUST KIND OF SPOKE ON IT. WE DON'T KNOW HOW WE OPERATED AS WE DID BEFORE, GIVEN THE SPACE WE HAVE NOW. UM, AND I AND I THINK IT REALLY SETS US UP FOR GROWTH FUTURE. WE ALREADY HAD THE BEST PORTFOLIO AND BEST PEOPLE. NOW WE HAVE THE BEST FACILITY. SO IT REALLY ALLOWS US TO TO GROW MOVING FORWARD. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN LET US IN ON THIS BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE THE SOUTHERN BEVERAGE NAME AROUND THE COMMUNITY AND MAYBE DON'T ALWAYS GET TO SEE THE FACILITIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET TO SHOW TODAY AND, AND SHOW OFF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT YOU GUYS DO BEYOND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE BRAND NAME THAT THEY MIGHT SEE. IS THERE ANYTHING NEW OR BIG THAT'S ALSO COMING ON? I KNOW THIS IS YOUR GUYS FOURTH PLACE, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE COMING UP? NO, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING NEW COMING UP. UH, OF COURSE THE BRANDS THAT WE HANDLE, THEY ALWAYS INNOVATING. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, FOR DIFFERENT FLAVORS AND DIFFERENT PACKAGE SIZE. BUT RIGHT NOW, I DON'T KNOW OF ANY, YOU KNOW. YEAH. TO MR. CARSON'S POINT, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TRY TO DIVERSIFY OUR PORTFOLIO. AND TO HIS POINT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE SUPPLIERS LIKE TO KEEP UP WITH THE TRENDS AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S NEW DRINKS COMING OUT, NEW PRODUCTS COMING OUT. AND WE WE TEST THEM AND GO THROUGH THE ONES THAT WE THINK ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR US. AND INTEGRATE THEM IN. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE JOB OR A FAVORITE PART OF DOING THIS? WORKING WITH MY GUYS IN THE WAREHOUSE AND IT ALL GOES. AND THE CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, SERVICE THE PEOPLE FOR SURE. DEALING WITH THE CUSTOMERS AND REALLY MEETING THEIR NEEDS AND THE COMMUNITY IMPACT THAT WE HAVE IS A BIG PART OF