Bellville Texas. Delicious. Refreshing. Mark Kristen. Mark was 5 when sorting returned bottles - barefooted, of course. At 7, he ventured a tad from the family soda business. He picked dewberries along the Sante Fe tracks and sold them on Hwy 36. He gave his first $14 profit to Deedie so she could buy a poodle puppy. Deedie later sold Mark her interest in KDC. Mark suggests you be real sweet to your mother. www.KristenDistributing.com. We did distribute more than just soda. In the 1950's there were 5 principle family members that worked directly in the family bottling business: Ambrose - founder, father of Boots; Boots - developer of the signature soda line, father of Mark; Deedie - emergency office worker (as in IRS visits), wife of Boots; Katy - ice cream wholesaler, sister to Boots; Mark - dewberry aficionado, lover of Aunt Katy's ice cream, son of Boots. Sacrifices for the family cause would be made by many supporting members: Laura Kristen - wife of Ambrose; Myrtle (sister to Boots) & John Froelich; Emma (sister to Boots) & Alfred Schmidt; Kay Kristen - daughter of Boots; Sue Kristen Coates - daughter of Boots.
