Business View - January 2016 99
in British Columbia that’s manufactured right here in
Ferndale. It’s a cheese product produced with new
technology which pulls the moisture out of the cheese
without de-naturing the product. So, we’re looking for
‘Better for You’ foods and snacks that meet the needs
of the consumer. This business will help offset con-
sumer trends which are driving declining CSD (carbon-
ated soft drinks) consumption. Alcohol sales also al-
low Walton Beverage to reach out to new consumers.
Carothers believes that Walton Beverage distinguishes
itself from its competition in several ways. “The great-
est differentiation between us and our competitors,”
he says, “are the brands that we carry, including the
number-one water, Aquafina, and the number one iso-
tonic, Gatorade. Lipton, Frappuccino, and Sparkling
Ice are all leading brands in their categories. Our Ser-
vice Department provides invaluable support to our
selling teams and our Vending sales team. All of our
employees are aligned with a ‘can do’ spirit instilled by
the Walton family over the past 85 years; our people
are more important to us than the brands.”
When asked where he would like to see the company
several years up the road, Carothers speaks optimisti-
cally about its newest market segment. “Strategically,
we want to make sure that we’re growing categories
that really show significant growth. If I had to pick one
category it would be beer,” he explains. “Craft beer is
growing nationwide at about 20 percent a year. It will
become a significant revenue stream for us. Again,
we’ve only been in it now for about a year, but if I had
to look at one thing in five years – if we can hit a home
run with craft beer, that would probably be the single
best thing that we could do in addition to our existing
brands.”
Rich in family tradition, and with an unwavering com-
mitment to delivering quality drinks and snacks, Wal-
ton Beverage looks poised to continue its 85-year run
as one of northwestern Washington’s premier, full-ser-
vice vending and distribution companies.
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