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Cheerwine wants to go from down home to upscale.
In a strategic move toward making a nationwide splash, Salisbury's Carolina Beverage Corp. is gearing up to start distributing its sweet, carbonated concoction to delis, cafes and coffeehouses around the country.
"We don't pretend that these plans will put Cheerwine into the position of being a mainstream drink," says Mark Ritchie, president and chief executive of Carolina Beverage. "But it's a good business decision." The national rollout, scheduled for next spring, will include a packaging of Cheerwine in 1950s-era soda bottles.
Rather than having its soft drink sold in supermarkets and other large retail outlets, Carolina Beverage intends to market it as a specialty beverage, available only in delis and other eateries.
"It's probably not a bad idea to go about it (that way), as opposed to trying to compete with the big companies at their own game,"...