EPPING BOTTLING COMPANY OF BLUEFIELD, VA

According to an August 6, 1926 blurb from the Graham news section of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph a "local bottler" was offering a new drink called Mil-Coa (which was a Milk Chocolate Drink Bottles) and it was doing well.(1) Unfortunately it was never made clear which "local bottler" was bottling Mil-Coa; however, the indication was that the company was located in Graham, VA. Later in 1926, October 28, 1926 in fact, an article was published in the same section of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph as the earlier blurb which made note that the "new bottling man" H. C. McCabe had his company going good that the publishing of the article.(1) His leader was named "Mi-Hi" and due to the description of it being a "mighty snappy drink" I would have to assume that it was a ginger ale or similar type drink.(1) It turns out that H. C. McCabe was the brother-in-law of John G. Epping who owned a long operating bottling company in Lousiville and Lexington, Kentucky, and that this plant was a branch plant for this main plant.(1) I'm still not sure where this particular bottler was located not having access to a 1926 city directory; however, the company doesn't show up in the 1927 city directory so I doubt they made it past 1926.

Mil-Coa ad from August 6, 1926

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