The Keurig Dr. Pepper facility on Mountain Street set to close its doors after nearly a century of operations in Warren County.
Warren County Historian Jimmy Haley said the facility previously transitioned from a bottling plant to a distribution center after moving from its original downtown location.
“The closure of the facility here is going to leave a void, it’s going to leave a hollow spot for many folks,” Haley said. “So I’ve got mixed emotions about it.”
Haley said the Milner family purchased the company in the mid-1960s and became well known for their local philanthropy. The family sponsored community events including Fourth of July fireworks and various civic movements using proceeds from the business.
“Sun Drop was a local bottled drink and it became an obsession with folks, and so it was called Golden Cola back then, but just the closure, it’s a chapter in our history that’s gone,” Haley said.
Haley said the current workforce likely consists of fewer than 30 employees. Some staff members have worked at the facility since they were teenagers.
“I hate to see employees who have worked there many of them since they were teenagers get displaced or have their jobs abolished,” Haley said. “And so when they moved the facility from downtown to Mountview, it they ceased the bottling operations, it was mostly just distribution from another plant.”
Haley said the Milner family sold the business several years ago and is no longer involved in the current operations. The City Center features a Milner Center dedicated to the family to honor their long-term impact on the community.
“It’s kind of a sad moment,” Haley said. “We’ve watched local businesses close over the years, but Dr. Pepper is kind of near and dear to people’s heart.”
Haley said the Mountain Street property sits adjacent to a large cemetery that is currently reaching capacity. While the future of the site is unknown, Haley said the property will likely be liquidated or sold by the current owners.
“To me it harks back to maybe a simpler time, an easier time when a lot of businesses were local and the people who owned them were invested in our community and believed in what we were doing and helped to generate interest in the things and events that we were doing,” Haley said. “And like I said that’s that was Ed Travis before the Milners and the Milners were so generous, their philanthropy was well known across this community and that’s kind of what I miss about when local businesses close or get absorbed or move in another direction outside the community.”
Haley said Dr. Pepper and Sun Drop products will continue to be distributed and sold in the local area despite the facility closure.
