Economic Development
Chesterman Company, Bottlers of Coca-cola products
| PO Box 3657 Sioux City, IA 51102 |
| 1-712-255-8814 |
 The Chesterman Company, a pioneer in the bottling, was founded in 1872 in Dyersville, Iowa, by Cilo Chesterman, making their own sweetened soda water in the kitchen of his farm house. By 1885 the business was growing so rapidly that the decision was made to move to Sioux City, which offered good railroads and better shipping facilities. In 1904 the Chesterman Company took on a new product, Coca-Cola. The new brand didn't sell well at first; the taste was totally different than most of the typical "flavors" of the day such as root beer, ginger ale, or sarsparilla. However, by 1942, due to the rapid growth of Coca-cola, all the "flavors" were discontinued so the company could concentrate on bottling only Coca-cola in six and a half ounce bottles. As the business continued to expand, new sales centers were added or acquired in Aurelia, IA; Kearney, NE; Macomb, IL and Sioux Falls, Yankton, Mitchell, Watertown, Huron and Pierre, SD. As consumer demand for bottled water began to grow in the early 1990s, Kandiyohi and Chippewa bottled water brands were added to the Chesterman product line through a new Minneapolis-based subsidiary, Premium Waters, Inc. (PWI). The bottled water business has grown very rapidly, and with new sales facilities around the Midwest, and production centers in Wilmer, MN, Kansas City, MO and Chippewa Falls, WI, PWI is now one of the largest bottled water companies in the region. Chesterman Company in Sioux City produces over 10 million cases of soft drinks annually in their 175,000 sq.ft. plant at 4700 South Lewis Blvd. 
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