If you’re a fan of Coca-Cola, a local family has played a role in getting it to you for the last century.
The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Columbus, led by the Schumaker family, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Founded in Columbus in 1916, the company that distributes Coca-Cola products has been handed down to different generations of Schumaker family members.
Albert “Hutch” Schumaker, 68, is the third-generation owner. His grandfather, A.E. “Junie” Schumaker, started a carbonated drink business featuring flavored soda in 1912 before he obtained a Coca-Cola franchise four years later.
Schumaker described the business reaching 100 years in operation under the same family as a “phenomenal achievement,” especially since it has been able to remain independent and continue its local presence in the community.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
