Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling went all out as it celebrated the grand reopening of its Tullahoma facility, which has changed from production to distribution.

The celebration took place on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the facility at 1502 E. Carroll St., where officials with Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, employees, city leadership and others gathered for the occasion, which included a special visit from the Coca-Cola polar bear.

Part of the celebration included a ribbon cutting, courtesy of the Tullahoma Area Chamber of Commerce, with confetti cannons, food, drinks and cupcakes.

After the ribbon cutting, Steve Zulanas, the market unit president for Reyes Coca-Cola or Tennessee, Kentucky and the Chicago area, addressed attendees and thanked everyone for coming out for the grand reopening.

“We’re excited about today causeit’sasignificantmilestone in the redevelopment of this facility,” Zulanas said. “This facility’s been around for like, 52 years. This facility’s been a core part of the Tullahoma community for a long time and we’re very excited to have this investment.”

He continued and said Reyes Coca-Cola was excited to have invested in the community and bring their team a place they can be proud to call home.

“Our team is down here every single day,” he said. “They live and work in this community, and they do a great job for us in servicing our customers.”

He added that Reyes Coca-Cola was a family owned business that is being run by the second generation, with President Andrew Reyes at the helm. Zulanas said Reyes drives his employees to be better, work smarter and do great things, but he is also doing it through people.

“It’s about investing in our people and giving them opportunities to grow and develop here locally, and then also within our broader organization,” Zulanas said.

He then shifted gears and stated Reyes Coca-Cola also wants to continue to be great stewards by giving back to the community and be great partners with the community for the long term. He took a moment to thank some of the community dignitaries in attendance, which included Mayor Lynn Sebourn, City Administrator Jeff Damron, aldermen Matthew Bird, Donna Bradford and Mike Dent, State House Rep. Rush Bricken, State Sen. Janice Bowling and Greg Adkin, president of the Beverage Association of Tennessee.

Shifting back to giving back to the community, Zulanas said since 2024 Reyes Coca-Cola has donated over 2,500 cases of its products out to people and communities in need, as well as giving out over $33,000 to the community.

“I think it’s an important piece that we do that, that we are good stewards,” Zulanas stated.

He then shared that locally, the facility’s staff has worked with local nonprofit organization 5 Loaves 4 Kids by volunteering with them to pack up food for 100 children in the community, which he said was over 700 hours over the last few years. He announced Reyes Coca-Cola was making another contribution by making a $2,000 donation to the organization.

“We are so appreciative to be partners with them, and to make a difference in the local community,” Zulanas said.

In a separate statement to The News, a Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling spokesperson stated the company has proudly served the Tullahoma community since 1906 and understand how important this facility is to the local community.

“Transitioning the facility to a distribution center made the most sense based on our network,” the spokesperson said. “It was important for us to maintain a presence in Tullahoma. We want to continue providing local jobs, serving our customers across the region and building on our legacy in Tullahoma for years to come.”

As for if there are plans to expand the plant with more jobs in the future, the spokesperson said Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling does not have specific expansion plans to announce at this time, but they built the Tullahoma facility with room to grow as the community and business grows.

“We’re most excited about welcoming our Tullahoma employees into a space that was designed with them in mind,” the Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling spokesperson said. “The previous facility was built in 1974. They now have a refreshed, modernized space with more room to work, train and collaborate. We’re proud to give our local team a facility that better supports them.”