Our history
B.W. Stetson Company was incorporated in 1951 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Bridgeton, New Jersey. The new company was founded to allow the local bottling company to enter businesses which did not conform to the rigid Coca-Cola bottler franchise agreements of the day. These territorial agreements strictly limited the bottler to just one product, Coca-Cola, in only one package, the six and one-half ounce returnable bottle.The Company was named for its founder, Basil W. Stetson, then owner of the Bridgeton Coca-Cola bottling franchise. Mr. Stetson came to New Jersey in 1950 after purchasing the local bottling franchise from The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta.In 1971, Stetson was purchased from Coke by Harold Gunn, formerly chief operating officer of Coke. This change marked the beginning of its history as a fully independent, locally owned company.Stetson grew to be the leading vending company in a five county area of southern New Jersey. Company services and offerings included bottled water and coffee services, catering and manual cafeteria operations to customers in this same area.In 2007 the vending, catering and cafeteria businesses were sold, permitting Stetson to focus on bottled water and coffee services and products.