Mahaska Bottling Company has a rich lineage. Founded in 1889, Mahaska quickly became a successful Pepsi bottler serving thirsty customers in the American Midwest. In the over 100 years that followed, Mahaska has diversified into different business lines to keep business booming. Currently, Mahaska has headquarters in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska and can offer products and services in nine states. 

While Pepsi distribution has been Mahaska’s bread and butter for generations, diverse business lines have helped them drive success. Mahasksa currently operates vending, micro market programs, and even micro-brewing operations through their NoCoast Beer Co.  label. With a track record of over 100 years of sustained business, it’s safe to say Mahaska has found a recipe for success.

Corey Lamb, the Director of Technology Operations at Mahaska, was hired at the company to help jump-start their technology programs. “We were a little bit behind the times as far as technology goes,” said Cory. Cory knew he needed to update the company’s management technology, and he quickly went on a search to find the right provider for him. To manage such a diversified business, Cory wanted something that brought an all-in-one approach. After examining multiple technology providers, Cory decided to pull the trigger on Parlevel. “The fact that we could do everything in one system and not have to integrate anything else, it was kind of a no brainer.”

Mahaska is currently in the process of switching their vending and micro market business lines completely onto Parlevel’s platform. Already, Mahaska has seen success with Parlevel’s technology. “Parlevel has been an improvement for us,” said James Howrey, Route Manager at Mahaska. “We’re currently in a transition between two different VMS’s and we are definitely seeing advantages with Parlevel.”

As Mahaska keeps adding routes onto Parlevel’s system, micro markets are getting a huge focus. “You can say I’m pretty passionate about the micro market side of the business,” said James. “People like interacting with the Parlevel kiosk. It’s very user-friendly – you basically just let the system do its job.” With Parlevel’s system, Mahaska can manage both vending and micro markets in one platform, which improves their operation top to bottom.

With Parlevel as a technology partner, Mahaska is ready to continue their over 100 years of success well into the future. And for other operators looking to do the same, Cory has some advice: “No matter your size, it’s always going to be better to see whether your machines need to be serviced, …where your route guys are and how efficient they are throughout the day,” said Cory. “A lot of that visibility is just something you can’t get without telemetry and without a good VMS.”


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