FUN FACT:
  • Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia opened their Weyers Cave facility in 1984.
  • In 2015, PepsiCo celebrated its 50th anniversary as a combined food and beverage company.
  • Pepsi-Cola advertised on television for the first time in 1950.
  • In 1955, Pepsi-Cola unveiled the world's largest advertising sign in Times Square in New York City.
  • Pepsi-Cola became available in bottles for the first time in 1905.
  • Pepsi introduced Wild Cherry Pepsi in 1989.
  • In 1943, due to government restrictions on metal during WWII, Pepsi began recycling bottle caps.
  • The first Pepsi-Cola advertisement appeared in newspapers in 1902.
  • As a teenager Elvis Presley worked for a Pepsi Bottler in Tupelo, Mississippi.
  • In 1975, Pepsi-Cola shook up the cola wars with the Pepsi Challenge.
  • In 1909, famous race car driver, Barney Oldfield, became the first celebrity to appear in Pepsi-Cola advertising.
  • Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia is the operator of the oldest recorded Pepsi-Cola Bottling franchise in the United States.
  • Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2008.
  • In 1985, the cola war took "one giant sip for mankind," when a Pepsi "space can" was successfully tested aboard the space shuttle.
  • In 2003, the Pepsi-Cola trademark turned 100 years old.
  • In 1996, after filming the world's first commercial in space, Cosmonauts shoot a large blue Pepsi can in orbit outside the MIR space station.
  • Pepsi-Cola was invented in 1898 by Caleb Davis Bradham.
  • Pepsi-Cola was initially called "Brad's Drink" by local patrons in honor of its inventor, Caleb Bradham.
  • Diet Pepsi-Cola was first introduced in 1964.
  • The first Pepsi-Cola trademark was registered in 1903.

Charlottesville Pepsi-Cola Bottling CompanyOur History

From pushcarts to modern transportation, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia (PCVA) has withstood the test of time. As a cornerstone of the Central Virginia Community, PCVA has been a leading business and employer since its inception by Samuel Ambrose Jessup in 1908.

Samuel Jessup was born in Stokes County, North Carolina in 1877. After his father’s death in 1891, Samuel moved to Southern Virginia where he embarked on a path that would lead to a lifetime of entrepreneurship, eventually transitioning into the soft drink business. In 1908, Mr. Jessup made the move to Charlottesville, Virginia seeking educational opportunities for his children that were not available to him as a young man. Mr. Jessup decided that Pepsi-Cola would provide the best future for his family and he obtained on December 28, 1908, what is now the oldest written and recorded franchise.

Samuel JessupMr. Jessup, or "Mr. S.A." as he later became affectionately known by his friends and employees, started his Pepsi-Cola business in the basement of a building on 4th Street in downtown Charlottesville. In addition to the bottling company, Mr. S. A. also became involved in a number of other business ventures, most memorable of which are The Monticello Dairy and Virginia Trailways Bus System.

Following the death of Mr. S.A. in 1960, his youngest son, Jimmie Jessup became President of the company. Jimmie introduced several changes to the company, the biggest of which being a move in November, 1963 to a newer and larger location on Millmont Street. Pepsi-Cola eventually outgrew the Millmont Street location and in 1983, the current production and sales facility, located off Route 29, was constructed and occupied. Jimmie remained president of the company until his passing in February, 1984.

After their father's death in 1984, Jay Jessup became President and Suzanne Jessup Brooks became Executive Vice President of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia. PCVA also operates Pepsi sales centers in Warrenton and Weyers Cave, Virginia.

 

Photo Gallery

*All photos are copyright of Bob Stoddard and used with his permission. Photos may not be reproduced or used in any form.

 

Our Company

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia is a family owned franchise with sales locations in Charlottesville, Warrenton, and Weyers Cave.

 

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Locations

Charlottesville Executive Office
481 Hillsdale Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
P.O. Box 9035
Charlottesville, VA 22906-9035
800-847-3774 or 434-978-2140

Charlottesville Plant
330 Seminole Court
Charlottesville, VA 22901
800-847-3774 or 434-978-2140

Warrenton
5393 Lee Highway
Warrenton, VA 20187
800-523-5540 or 540-347-3112

Weyers Cave
100 Triangle Drive
Weyers Cave, VA 24486
800-492-1712 or 540-234-9238