Iowa's Beverage Companies Are #HereForYou

In the bottling plant. In the delivery truck. And in the grocery store. Our companies and their dedicated employees are #HereForYou. In these uncertain and extraordinary times, our essential workers — along with those across the food, beverage and retail industry — are working every day so that Iowans have access to what's essential.

From producers to bottlers to distributors, Iowa’s beverage companies are working closely and tirelessly with their partners in the food supply chain to make sure food, beverages and other goods make it onto stores shelves and into homes without disruption. And as Iowa companies, making American products, in our hometowns, our commitment to serving our communities is unwavering and more critical than ever.

The Iowa Beverage Association is the trade association representing Iowa’s non-alcoholic beverage producers, bottlers and distributors. Our industry employs more than 2,500 workers throughout the state and is committed to supporting our local communities and charitable causes across the state.

COVID-19 Partnerships

My employer, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, had the opportunity at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to thank healthcare workers in a unique and creative way. I’m proud to say that Atlantic Bottling — along with two other Iowa-based companies lead the effort to develop a localized partnership that directly showed our appreciation to those front-line employees who continue to do so much for us every day.

To do this, we partnered with Casey’s General Stores and Iowa Corn, to deliver an entire meal to area hospitals. Over the course of two weeks, Iowa Corn, Casey’s and Atlantic Bottling Company provided delicious Casey’s pizza and refreshing Coca-Cola products to 120 hospitals. This is just one example of how Iowa beverage companies have been supporting those on the front lines and communities throughout the pandemic. While this is one example, all the members of our association have been delivering products to fire and police stations, community hospitals, area food banks and more.

In addition to support during the pandemic, our companies have been committed to helping people recover from the derecho disaster around the state. The Quaker Oats Company, a unit of PepsiCo, Inc., has a long history of supporting the communities in which they live and work. To aid in the derecho recovery process in Cedar Rapids Quaker Oats donated $300,000 to support ongoing relief efforts in the community through two organizations — Team Rubicon and the American Red Cross. At the epicenter of Cedar Rapids is Quaker Oats milling and cereal manufacturing, an important part of the fabric of The Quaker Oats Company. This funding will support a variety of ongoing relief efforts, including shelter, meals and snacks, clothing, debris management, property restoration and more.

Follow the Iowa Beverage Association on Twitter or Facebook to learn more about how Iowa’s beverage companies are #HereForYou and working hard to keep shelves stocked and support communities during the pandemic.

You can count on The Partnership to continue to share accurate and fact-based updates. See more on COVID-19 here.