SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – The mesmerizing bottling process in Charlotte starts with a little piece of plastic. It's stretched and blown, and through the magic of manufacturing, 20-ounce bottles are quickly ready to go.
They are filled so rapidly that if you blink you might just miss the good cheer that remains part of the fabric of Salisbury and beyond.
"Cheerwine has become engrained in North Carolina culture as well as southern culture," says Joy Harper, the VP of marketing.
May is a month for big-ticket events around CharlotteOn Saturday, May 17, the city of Salisbury celebrates the southern favorite with the Cheerwine Festival. The music acts this year include the Next Level Band, The Boy Band Review, and more.
Much like the bottling begins with a tiny tube, Cheerwine took off with a seedling of an idea in Salisbury.
That's where a downtown landmark quenches our thirst for more about the company's history. On East Council Street, the original Cheerwine building and restored mural are part of the roots of the iconic southern brand.
The stage at the 2024 Cheerwine Festival.The corporate headquarters are still in Salisbury. The site is filled with memorabilia, like vintage advertising signs.
"I take a lot of personal pride in it. Cheerwine's always been a part of my life growing up," Harper told Queen City News.
She's partial to the product because, well, she was grandfathered in.
"This is L.D. Peeler, my great-great-grandfather who started Cheerwine,” she said pointing at a painting. “And this other portrait is his son Clifford Peeler, who ran the business for a long time. He was my great grandfather."
Harper is the fifth generation to work at Cheerwine.
In 1917, during World War I, a sugar shortage forced her great-great-granddaddy to reinvent himself when his Mint Cola company went under.
"He discovered flavor was a good substitute for sugar and developed Cheerwine."
The wild cherry concoction was L.D. Peeler's wild card.
“The Cheerwine name came from its deep red color [and] resembled a red wine. And cheer came from its unique cherry taste,” says Harper.
The way it has been marketed has changed over the years, but the formula for the burgundy beverage has been a constant, except maybe Christmas time.
"What we call Cheerwine holiday punch,” Harper said, showing us a bottle of the seasonal offering. “Which is a blend of Cheerwine, ginger ale, and pineapple juice. It's actually a family recipe."
Presidents like George H.W. Bush have sipped Cheerwine. President Barack Obama sampled some while visiting Boone.
Bottles being filled with Cheerwine.It's a taste of the South in your mouth.
"It has been a North Carolina brand for most of its life. It wasn't until the 1980s that we stepped out into South Carolina and surrounding states," says Harper.
In 2017, Salisbury marked the business's 100th anniversary with an event downtown. The Cheerwine Festival is now a May tradition.
"It's a great time to come out and celebrate Cheerwine as well as North Carolina,” she said.
Demand for the fizzy family creation has far from fizzled out. On the day we were there, a Charlotte facility filled 390 bottles of Cheerwine per minute and a total of more than 300,000 units.
So much has changed in the past 108 years.
Maybe that's why folks hold onto the nostalgia, taking comfort in the fact that Cheerwine is still flowing.
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