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In a small town in the far southeastern corner of Minnesota, Spring Grove Soda Pop was born. The town’s local pharmacist started selling home-made soda pop at his pharmacy–most pharmacies in the late-19th Century housed their own ice cream parlor or soda jerk.
His brother-in-law quickly suggested purchasing bottling equipment so folks could take their soda home. This was the beginning of a great story.
Arnold Morken, who purchased Spring Grove Soda Pop in the 40’s, eventually bought into Pabst Blue Ribbon distrubiting, and he took Spring Grove Soda along for the ride. Bob Hansen, who now owns Spring Grove Soda with his wife, explains, “When he bought into PBR distributing, he took his pop out of Spring Grove and into other communities. This was the same time that Coke and Pepsi were pushing their product and putting small soda companies out of business, but because Spring Grove Soda had distribution, we could afford to continue.”
In the nearly 14 years since the Hansen’s have owned Spring Grove Soda, they greatly expanded their production and distribution. The company went from producing 12K cases annually to just under 70K in their facility. Their distribution started in a 100 mile radius, and expanded to about half of the lower 48 states.
So, why get into soda? Both the Hansens were at a crossroads in their respective careers (his at a sawmill, hers in insurance sales), and they simply couldn’t resist the curiosity about the town’s beloved soda company. Bob says the couples was surprised by the passion Spring Grove has for the soda.
“We knew Spring Grove had its own little bottling company, and we always had some in the fridge, but we never thought too much about it. When we bought it, people came up and thanked us and wished us the best. And it never stopped. Every time we do something different, people notice it and they’re the first to come up to us and mention it and thank us,” says Hansen.
Thanks to community support and two business-savvy owners, Spring Grove Soda expanded rapidly in recent years. Hansen also attributes the growth to their upgraded equipment. Spring Grove soda was on bottled on 1950s equipment, and the Hansens decided to upgrade and keep the bottling in-house because “We couldn’t handle the thought of someone else bottling it for us.” Once they got the new equipment going, the Hansens worked within their distributor network to identify possible partners for contract bottling. Using their upgraded equipment to bottle for other companies has put Spring Grove Soda on the map, and it allows for them to work with a larger budget.
The next step in Spring Grove Soda’s expansion? Growing their distributor network. Bob Hansen explains, “We had been doing contract bottling for a couple years and we got to the point where we really wanted to hire a sales rep. Lo and behold, a gentleman walked into the store my wife manages, and he had spent 23 years working for Lunds and Byerly’s in their corporate office. She sent him over to talk to me, and through numerous discussions we ended up getting him hired. His first job was to go to the metro area to work on getting us into some of the bigger grocery store chains.
“He connected with College City Beverage, and they were very receptive to it, and they wanted to get us into some bigger markets. It’s really great working with those guys because they’ve got a great distribution system. It’s awesome for us as a small bottler to have that kind of resource.“
You’ll love Spring Grove Soda for their old-fashioned recipes, natural flavors, and homegrown values. Call us to learn how you can try it today!