Pepsi Bottling Group plans Maine purchase

PORTLAND – Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. plans to buy the Pepsi bottling operation of Seltzer & Rydholm Inc.

The Auburn-based business has been operated by the Rydholm family for more than 80 years.

Seltzer & Rydholm, which has a production, distribution and sales facility in Auburn and distribution centers in Portland and Augusta, serves 11 counties in southern and central Maine.

Pepsi said Seltzer & Rydholm employs 250 people in the state.

Pepsi Bottling Group has 85 employees in Maine, at warehouses in Bangor and Presque Isle.

The transaction is expected to close in the fall. Terms were not disclosed.

“This acquisition will complement PBG’s existing business in Maine and extend our operations across the entire state,” said John Cahill, chairman and chief executive officer of Pepsi Bottling Group.

“Over many decades, the Rydholm family has invested substantial resources into this business and the communities it serves. Their commitment to customer service and product quality has resulted in solid sales growth. We look forward to building on this commitment and continuing their strong legacy of community support.”

Pepsi Bottling Group owns Maine’s two other distributors in Presque Isle and Hampden and three of four in New Hampshire, including one in Portsmouth.

Pepsi Bottling Group, which is the world’s largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages, became a publicly traded company in 1999.

It generates sales of about $10.5 billion a year and operates in the United States, Canada, Greece, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Turkey.