| Extra info | Kristen Distributing Company was founded in 1930 by Ambrose Kristen, three years before the repeal of Prohibition. Ambrose immigrated from Germany to Galveston, Texas in the late 1800’s with his father, who passed away on the voyage. Only 16 years old and left with a few tools and knowledge, he set up a wheelwright business in Shelby, Texas. In 1930, at the age of 62, he purchased Belleville Bottling Works, later named Kristen Distributing. In 1945, Boots Kristen, son of Ambros returned from WWII to run the company. Boots crafted his own line of sodas called "Boots" and renamed the company, Boots Bottling Company. The company also bottled Dr. Pepper, Nesbitt, 7Up, and Frosty Root Beer. Boots was able to produce his sodas for a decade before the costs of replacing non-return glass bottles forced him to stop. The Kristen family sold the soda bottling works in 1962 to focus on malt beverages.
In 1979, Mark Kristen, “Boots” son, came aboard as the 3rd generation Kristen to be in management. Mark led Kristen Distributing to become one of the first Miller houses to acquire Coors Brewing Company products, creating one of the first shared Miller-Coors houses in the state of Texas. In 1998, Mark purchased Brazos Beverage; this gave him the opportunity to relocate the company to Bryan, Texas. A few years later, Kristen Distributing was awarded the Adolph Coors Founder’s Award in 2002 – one of the industry’s most prestigious accolades. In honor of his father and the sacrifices the entire family made to keep the business afloat, Mark reintroduced Boots Beverages in September of 2013. The soda line features flavors that were popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s. After three successful years with bottles, Boots Beverages introduced their own fountain line, Boots Fountain Drinks, run by Mark’s son, Jacob Kristen. |
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