HICKORY — The City of Hickory presented the Business. Well Crafted. Legacy Award to Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Hickory on Wednesday, April 15, the city said April 17, 2026.
Business Development Director Dave Leonetti presented the award for the city’s Business Development Committee, citing more than 100 years in business. The city described the company as a fourth-generation, family-owned distributor of soft drinks, coffee, tea, and snacks serving 17 counties across western North Carolina, from Hickory to Murphy.
The city said the story started in 1925, when Lee P. Frans left a secretary’s job at R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, moved his family to Hickory, and bought the local Orange Crush bottling operation. It began with three route trucks. A new plant went up in 1931 on the site of the current home office.
In 1936, Joe “Uncle Joe” Lepedias urged Frans to look at Pepsi-Cola, then sold in a 12-ounce bottle. After a trip to New York, Frans brought Pepsi to Hickory in 1937. Demand rose from 20,000 cases the first year to more than 100,000 by 1940, with more routes, new equipment, and the first dedicated sales manager, Van Teague.
The notice lists later expansions to Spruce Pine in 1950, Asheville in 1968, and Bryson City in 1999, and later describes the company as spanning 18 counties. It cites a profit-sharing program and community giving. More is at www.pepsihky.com. Questions on the awards go to Leonetti at 828-261-2227 or [email protected].
The April 17 notice does not list current employment, a plant address, or how many Legacy Awards the city has given in 2026.
Official release from City of Hickory, April 17, 2026. https://www.hickorync.gov/pepsi-cola-bottling-company-earns-business-well-crafted-legacy-award
