This is mainly about Kentucky and Tennessee because these are the two states I am most familiar with but it is open to anywhere else. I don't understand why Tennessee always gets new things before Kentucky and sometimes they get stuff that Kentucky never gets. Like Mello Yello Cherry and Melon were in Tennessee 6 months to a year before they ever showed up in Kentucky and I got Mello Yello Afterglow in Tennessee once and it never came to Kentucky. Now I am hearing about Fanta Citrus and other things being in Tennessee while Kentucky has none of this stuff. Why do they only sell things in certain states. If they want to make a big profit wouldn't they want to sell their products in as many places as they could? Also, Kentucky and Tennessee are border states and its odd how they have so many more pops than Kentucky. I don't think it's fair. I shouldnt have to go all the way to Tennessee to get pops. They should be sold here. I just don't understand!!

My armchair guess is that it's a matter of organizing the bottlers in the regional area's.
Organizing the stock of syrup,bottles,labels so that a smooth and productive transition takes place. Scheduling production runs of a new product
requires much planing.

My guess is that the bottlers in one state require more time to prepare an updated or new brand production schedule.

Please let me know if I'm way off base.

I can strongly guess that bottlers do not try and delay the launching of a potentially hot seller.

[ 10-19-2005, 07:29 PM: Message edited by: Mr Zabe ]

it's mainly marketing, market segmentation and cooperation from bottlers that may or may not be very good at executing on new products. some companies are and some aren't

As it relates to Coca-Cola products, uppereast Tennessee and middle Tennessee are a part of the CCBCC operation out of Charlotte. A very inovative company that, it seems, KO uses to launch new products. Kentucky is mostly CCE territory.

It all depends on what bottling teritory you live in. Coke usually lets it's bottlers choose if they want to sell a brand or not.
Example:
Coke Consolidated sells tons of Mello Yello
But CCE New York sells none at all

I know how you feal iluvsurge. If I were in charge of Coke I would sell all brands nationwide, and not just in certain regions.

[ 10-20-2005, 05:12 AM: Message edited by: Mello Yello Luver ]

iluvsurge220, to give you a picture on how much the country is sliced up by differnt bottlers:

Tennessee
Eastern - CCE South States
Central - Coke Consolidated
Western - CCE Gulf States

Kentucky
Eastern - CCE Tri States
Western - Elizabethtown Coca Cola

Actually, the divisional structure at CCE no longer exists. The company is now divided up into six business units in the US:

Northeast
Great Lakes
Southeast
Southwest
Midwest
West

Each BU has a number of MUs (Market Units) and each MU has a number of Sales Centers in it.

With this different segmentation of the market, I suspect that we will see some shifts in product availability, test marketing, and so on.

Also, in Kentucky you've also got Coke Clark in Bowling Green, and tiny indies Louisa KY and Middlesboro KY. Elizabethtown is part of Coke Ennis from Tullahoma TN.

In Tennessee, you've also got indies Union City and Pulaski, not to mention Ennis in Tullahoma and a small portion east of Union City's territory.. and Coke Weaver of Corinth MS also does a small portion of TN.

thnx for giving me an update fusion.

No problem. CCE always seems to be slow to update their site. No mention at all of this new structure, or the acquisition of Central Coke (the bottler for your area!)

fusion, I have another question for you.
CCE Southern States (AL/TN/FL) has always sold tons of Mello Yello(and Diet). Is CCE Southern States now Southeast CCE?

And what does that mean for Mello Yello in those areas?

[ 10-22-2005, 06:51 AM: Message edited by: Mello Yello Luver ]