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| Affiliation | Moderate |
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| Name | Polar INC. |
| Address | 1001 Southbridge Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01610, United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | http://www.polarbev.com/ |
| Born |
00, 1882
(142 years)
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| Contributor | CincinnatiReds1990 |
| Last Modifed | Thomas Walker
May 08, 2008 05:13pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | NOT A COKE PRODUCT.
Polar Beverages, the country’s largest independent soft-drink bottler, is a fourth- generation, family-owned business that traces its roots back to 1882.
Polar Beverages began as the J. G. Bieberbach Company, which bottled seltzers, ginger ale and imported mineral water and was also a wholesaler of alcoholic beverages in Worcester, Massachusetts. Prior to coming to Worcester, Mr. Bieberbach had immigrated to New York City from Germany at the request of the Shafer Brewing Company, the first company in the nation to brew Pilsner beer.
In 1901 Dennis M. Crowley, the great grandfather of the present owners of Polar Beverages, founded D. M. Crowley & Co., a wholesale and retail liquor business. The top selling product of the day was Crowley’s Ball Brook Straight Whiskey.
In 1916 the Crowley’s acquired the J. G. Bieberbach Company. The combined wholesale-retail liquor companies were extraordinarily successful. Dennis, also known as “Boss Crowley,” was a second-generation American. His parents had emigrated from Ireland because of the Great Famine.
In 1918 Dennis continued to expand the business by purchasing the Leicester Polar Spring Company, and the combined businesses became known as the Bieber Polar Ginger Ale Company. The acquisition of Leicester Polar Spring Company gave Polar a pure spring located Spencer, Massachusetts. This pure spring water was used for the company’s bottled water and was also used in the manufacture of Polar’s flavored drinks. The first flavors produced were golden ginger ale and pale dry ginger ale.
Changes in the United States greatly impacted Polar’s business in the 1920’s when the 18th Amendment was added to The Constitution of the United States. This amendment prohibited the sale of alcohol, and thus Polar’s alcohol business ceased forcing Polar to focus on its ginger ale and spring water company. In 1933 the 18th Amendment was made null with the 21st Amendment, which allowed the Crowley’s to resume their liquor business as “rectifiers and wholesalers;” but the company’s focus remained on soft drinks and spring water where it continues today.
In the early years of the company, sale of bottled water accounted for a large percent of its business.
The addition of the Leicester Polar Spring Company was important to the business because its assets included the rights to the use of a spring in Spencer, Massachusetts, which provided an abundant source of pure spring water.
Because of the exceptional quality of the spring water, flavored soft drinks were added to the plant's production. Among the first flavors produced were Pale Dry Ginger Ale, Cola, Orange Soda and Root Beer.
The company headquarters remained at the site of the old Bieberbach firm, 113 Summer Street in Worcester.
At various times in the company’s history, Polar beverages were bottled in other Polar owned plants in Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut, while offices and warehouses were maintained in Springfield, Massachusetts.
In 1950, the third generation of Crowley’s became involved in Polar. The four Crowley brothers, Ralph, Edward, James and Denis, led the company. Entrepreneurial Chairman Ralph accepted and thrived in the lead management position. By 1988 Polar’s sales had jumped to $16 million dollars by selling both Polar beverages and private-label soft drinks. Ralph remained Chairman until his death in 1995.
Many changes took place at Polar during the 1960’s. During this time, technical advances in bottling machinery modernized the business. In 1966 Polar Ginger Ale was renamed Polar Corp. to correct the impression that the company only produced ginger ale. In 1968 all production was consolidated into the Worcester plant because of its prime location at the heart of Polar’s Northeast marketplace.
In 1992 the fourth generation took over with Ralph Crowley, Jr., becoming President and CEO. Under his leadership, Polar made numerous acquisitions for the rights to manufacture and distribute National brands such as 7 Up, A&W, Sunkist, Seagrams, Royal Crown and Diet Rite. In 1999 his brother Christopher became Executive Vice President & Treasurer. Both Ralph and Christopher remain today in these roles at Polar Beverages.
Under this fourth generation of Crowley’s, Polar has undergone its most dramatic growth and change. In December of 1996, Polar Beverages bought long-time competitor Adirondack Beverages in Scotia, New York, including its 650,000 square foot manufacturing facility. Adirondack’s product line includes Adirondack, Waist Watchers, Clear & Natural as well as private label brands. Polar was able to develop this company’s production from 20 million 12-ounce cases to over 50 million cases and increase Adirondack’s revenue from $50 million to $100 million annually.
By 1998 Polar had outgrown its facility and began looking for a new location in the New England area. After much consideration and many offers by other states, Polar decided to remain in Worcester out of loyalty to its employees and the local community. Polar’s decision to remain in Worcester ensured continued employment for over 600 employees. With Polar’s renovation of the Cookson Performance Plastics plant on Southbridge Street, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce awarded Polar with the Silver Hammer award for the renovation and restoration of the former plant.
In May of 1999, Polar Beverages acquired Venture Distributing, the leading new- age distributor in the Boston marketplace. Venture’s portfolio included brands such as Nantucket Nectars and Arizona.
By the end of the turn of the century Polar had become a “super regional” organization. Polar had completed over twenty acquisitions expanding into five divisions with proprietary brands Polar, Adirondack, Waist Watcher and Clear & Natural along with National brands 7 Up, A&W, Sunkist, Seagrams, Royal Crown and Diet Rite in addition to new-age brands Vitamin Water, Snapple, Arizona, Fiji Water, O Water, HyDrive, Hansen’s Monster and Nantucket Nectars and finally retailers brands along with home and office spring water.
In September 2001, Polar Beverages formed an alliance with another long time competitor, Cott Corporation. The new partnership is known as Northeast Retailer Brands, LLC. Polar gained a considerable amount of production volume, while contributing private-label customers including over a dozen grocery chains and warehouse clubs. All shared retail branded soft drinks continue to be produced at Polar’s Massachusetts and New York bottling plants, each plant is about 500,000 square feet in size.
In 2004 Polar acquired Snapple of Boston, which brought to the company important brands like Vitamin Water and Snapple Iced Teas.
2007 marks Polar Beverages’ 125th year in the beverage industry. Polar is using this milestone as a time to remember its modest beginnings in 1882 and to celebrate the company’s growth. Throughout all the changes Polar has undergone, it has maintained its commitment to the community, its associates and its customers by providing the highest quality, healthy and unique beverages available today.
Polar Beverages is the largest privately held, independent-bottling company in the country today. Though it has changed in size, Polar is proud that it still holds on to the same values as its previous generations. We promise to continue the tradition of providing the highest quality beverages available at affordable prices.
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