Our company President, Edwin “Cookie” Rice, recently appeared on the CNBC Original “ Coca-Cola: The Real Story Behind the Real Thing.” He discussed the rich history of Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company and the importance of brand loyalty with interviewer Michelle Lee. As one of only 72 remaining independent Coca-Cola bottlers, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper is acutely aware of the pressures Coca-Cola faces from its competition. The documentary details our superb customer service and close coordination with Coca-Cola’s corporate offices.

See the article and video below for a brief overview of the special news report.

Coca-Cola: The Real Story Behind the Real Thing

CNBC, Nov. 11, 9 p.m. ET

An hour isn’t much time to dig beneath the fizz of a company as sprawling as Coca-Cola, but CNBC’s Melissa Lee cobbles together unique if disparate footage to illustrate how the world-famous brand aims to expand its reach and develop the next billion-dollar beverage.

First up is a quick but fascinating visit to Coke’s vast “secret” archives, a memorabilia collection that’s valued at $60 million on the company’s books. Lee quickly fast-forwards to Coke’s plans for the future, including a demo of the splashy new Freestyle fountain dispenser, which uses touch-screen technology to allow a consumer to customize more than 100 different drinks.

“It’s a high-tech machine that sends the data back to Atlanta,” Lee says. “They can figure out exactly what people are pouring, when.”

Lee also shows a South African pushing crates of Coke in a wheelbarrow through mud and sewage to a sales point — a front porch.

With North American soft-drink sales declining, emerging markets are increasingly important to Coke, Lee says.

“You may think that Coke is everywhere,” Lee says. “But as long as a Coke is not within arm’s reach of somebody, (Coca-Cola) thinks that’s an opportunity.”

photo credit usatoday.com, video from youtube.com