Coca-Cola is widely known as America’s flagship drink. 

So, naturally, companies like anchor bottler and distributor, Utah-based Swire Coca-Cola, USA, are putting the country’s 250th birthday in the nation’s hands. 

Swire Coca-Cola, USA, is distributing limited-edition America250 cans and bottles across Arizona and the West. The commemorative packaging, wrapped in red, white and blue with flag‑inspired graphics, is part of a nationwide Coca‑Cola initiative.

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Coca‑Cola is the official non‑alcoholic beverage sponsor of America250.

Recently, its Tempe distribution plant hosted a media tour to show off the new products.

“People light up when they see these cans. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic, and it’s something that brings people together,” said Kelly Fajardo, Swire Coca-Cola, USA’s director of public relations and government affairs. 

Swire Coca-Cola, USA, manufactures, markets, and distributes an expansive portfolio of beverages across 13 western U.S. states.

The America250 rollout began with a series of mini‑cans featuring individual state designs. Those early cans are already hard‑to‑find collectibles.

“If you can find an Arizona mini‑can, grab it,” Fajardo said with a laugh. “They were part of the first run, and they’re incredibly hard to track down now.”

Fajardo has even issued a challenge: Anyone who finds an Arizona A250 mini‑can and sends her a selfie with it gets Swire Coca-Cola swag.

Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero carry the commemorative look, along with select 1‑liter bottles. Cases are packaged with a variety of states. 

“It’s almost like opening a pack of Pokémon cards,” she said. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

Though many Arizonans know Swire Coca-Cola, USA, only through the Coca‑Cola trucks on the road, the company’s story stretches back more than two centuries.

John Swire & Sons began in 1816 as a Liverpool‑based trading firm. The company expanded into Asia as a shipping powerhouse before entering the beverage world in 1965, when it acquired the Coca‑Cola bottling franchise in Hong Kong. Swire moved to the United States in 1978 by purchasing bottling rights in Salt Lake City.

Today, Swire Coca‑Cola, USA, employs more than 8,000 people and operates across 13 states. Arizona is one of its strongest markets, with 11 facilities statewide; 2,242 employees; and $142 million in annual payroll. 

The Tempe plant — one of Swire Coca-Cola, USA’s oldest — moves millions of units of product per week, especially during peak seasons like summer and the holidays.

“We have more than 800 SKUs,” Fajardo said. “People think of Coke and Diet Coke, but our portfolio is huge.”

The company set three national community‑impact goals tied to the anniversary:

  • 250,000 meals packed, served or delivered
  • Progress: 173,893 meals
  • Arizona’s share: 75,248 — the highest of any state
  • 12,500 volunteer hours
  • Progress: 4,696 hours
  • $250,000 in grants to local food‑security partners

Swire Coca-Cola, USA partners with organizations across its footprint, including St. Mary’s Food Bank, where employees recently packed 50,000 meals in a single event.

“We’ll partner with anyone who wants to partner with us,” Fajardo said. “Food insecurity is something we can make a real dent in.”

Fajardo joined Swire Coca-Cola, USA, in December after a decade in the New Mexico Legislature. She said the company’s culture, scale and community focus made the transition easy.

“We’ve grown from 400 employees to 2,242 in just over a decade,” she said. “It’s fast‑moving, but it’s meaningful work.”

And for collectors — or anyone planning a Fourth of July picnic — the America250 cans won’t be around long.

“They’re limited‑run,” she said. “Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”