Cheerwine: Everybody knows your name

The Cheerwine craze is in Nashville and on Belmont’s campus in full force.

The trendy, cherry-flavored soda has been hard to come by in Middle Tennessee for some time now, but that has all changed thanks to the distributors at Pepsi-Cola in Nashville.

“I found out about Cheerwine on a trip to South Carolina and fell in love,” senior Kindall Duke said. “I’d drive out much farther than necessary to buy groceries to find it, so it’s nice to have it close by.”

Because Belmont is a Pepsi-sponsored school, Cheerwine is available at Corner Court, What’s Bruin and Curb Café.

“Cheerwine is literally the only good thing about Pepsi being involved on campus,” freshman Rachel Glidden said.

Over the past few years, Cheerwine’s popularity has grown, in part because of the way the company markets the brand.

The brand, which is owned by the Carolina Beverage Corporation, is still a family business and has been since 1917.

The Peeler family and the employees at the Carolina Beverage Corporation have managed to keep this drink alive by listening to the drink’s fans.

“We choose dialogue over monologue and like to engage with our customers,” said Tom Barbitta, vice president of marketing.

In an effort to do just that, Cheerwine is definitely engaging with customers. The company recently threw a party in Nashville to celebrate their move into Middle Tennessee.

At the party, there was evidence of a strong support base. Fans wore their homemade Cheerwine garb, discussed their love for the brand and enjoyed free food, with Cheerwine to wash it all down.

“We just hope to excite fans and are glad to have a presence in Nashville,” Barbitta said.

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