forklift operator

technician

machine operator

shift leader

brewer

Carolina Beverage Group

I experienced significant toxicity in this company. While there were good moments and I’m grateful for them, the work environment changed dramatically once job enlargement pushed out strong employees and they were replaced with unprofessional, aggressive individuals. The role itself had potential, but the culture made it unsustainable.

The main issues I encountered included:

- A toxic team environment — Bullying, hostility, and escalating stress became routine. It reached a point where the environment affected my sleep and overall well‑being.
- Unequal standards — Some employees were allowed to ignore responsibilities without consequences, while others were reprimanded for simply raising concerns.
- Retaliation for reporting problems — When I provided clear evidence of unfinished work, management often redirected blame toward me instead of addressing the actual issue.
- Favoritism and nepotism — A small group received protection and special treatment, while others were dismissed or undermined.
- Unstable expectations — Agreements about routes, schedules, and responsibilities were frequently changed or reversed, often used as leverage rather than for operational reasons.
- Lack of accountability — Despite repeated proof of poor performance from certain employees, management refused to act, choosing instead to pressure those who tried to maintain standards.
- Abusive management style — The manager regularly twisted situations, brought up old unrelated accusations, and used intimidation instead of leadership.

Over time, the culture rewarded dishonesty and punished anyone who tried to uphold quality or fairness. Ultimately, the environment became too toxic and unpredictable to continue working in.


I'm a lab technician, so there's LOTS of running back and forth and micro managing your time by the quarter hour.  Especially if something goes wrong  on the line, because you're watching the spec of the product, making sure it's in the right packaging and verifying codes.  You don't always get a break: you kind of work them in depending on how your line is running.  If you can get into the groove, get along with your teammates on the line, and do your own part well, you will be fine and have job security.  If you start back biting, gossiping, slacking off or dissappearing then you're a goner.  They do ask a lot, and it's pretty demanding, but everyone's in the same boat with you, and will generally help you out if you ask and you're not an I'll tempered curmudgeon.
     There's no limit to the overtime you can acquire, and nightshift has a better vibe to it than days.  But it's hard to have a life outside work on nights, because you sleep your days off away, or wake up too late to go to the bank, or have to stay up late after work to go to a regular 8/9 to 5 establishment.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I worked with some pretty talented individuals  and learned as much as I could from them.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Inconsistent leadership, multiple conflicts of interests. The VP/Plant Manager was drinking buddies with a few of the employees. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Job/task training is almost nonexistent for production employees. 1st day temps are often left alone to operate equipment. Turnover is extremely high at all levels. The last Director of Maintenance & Engineering before I left resigned after less than 3 months.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arrive 20 minutes before shift to get pass down from outgoing shift. Verify and correct attendance records. Spend the majority of the next 13-14 hours dispatching techs to equipment breakdowns, sourcing parts that are often out of stock, finding alternative repairs when parts are not available. Training new and old production employees on proper equipment operation. Planning and tracking PM completion during planned and unplanned downtime.

If you absolutely need a job then give this place a try, but keep looking. Very toxic work culture. A lot ofq the tenured management is extremely condescending, degrading, and unsupportive. It seems like everyone has learn to just back stab anyone and everyone, so you can't feel safe to make a simple mistake around anyone because they will make it known immediately to make themselves look good. The maintenance personal are more experienced at banter than they are at fixing the equipment and it definitely shows.

If you enjoy being yelled out over a radio, spoken to like a child, working in 90 to 100° humid temperatures, being covered in different types of sugary energy drinks, fighting with machines to keep them running all day, taking only 3 short breaks a day, not being able to drink anything but water at your work station, getting little to no training and expected to produce, then this is the place for you.

Not a good place. All they care about are the number of cases that are produced. Don’t care about the employees or the quality of the products. There are rules in place but not enforced. People wearing facial piercings and other jewelry even though handbook clearing says no jewelry. But management looks the other way. They would rather hire outside people rather than promote within. The pay is also way below pay at similar places in the area. They offer bonuses but always find a reason why we can’t get one. Machines are outdated and are always breaking. Maintenance does a temporary fix to get it up and running again. But it is never looked at again until it breaks again. Horrible communication. If you work in the back of the plant it may take you 5 minutes to walk to the break room and 5 minutes to walk back to your machine. That times counts as part of you 15 minute break. So in actuality you only get a 5 minute break. Because of all of this the turnover rate is extremely high. 

Typical work day as a manager you are expected to be on the floor troubleshooting, micromanaging, and running equipment as well as keeping rest of management in the loop of any developments. Learning is on the job training, Director leads by micromanagement and intimidation. You will earn a good paycheck here at the sacrifice of your morals and ethics. The workplace culture is a 0 out of 5 as much as HR tries to do what they can, it is a poor counter productive environment, there is a reason you will see high turn over. During less than 2 years roughly 200 out of 230 plant employees have been terminated or have quit. Hardest part of the job is dealing with an incompetent Director that likes to micromanage and talk down to people. He has very limited experience and was a lead a few years ago. 

It will be a 12 hour shift and production will continue so you need to be ready to be on your feet.  I have learned a lot about the beverage manufacturing process and industry requirements and standards.  I have been blessed with many great managers and supervisors but find a lot of co-workers don’t want to work.  Too many people just want a paycheck and want to complain.  The team I work with I really enjoy, mainly production and batching but each shift is different.  It only takes one person to make work difficult and that is not the companies fault.  There is some favoritism and HR does not handle things.  Overall you make every situation what you make it.  It will be a beneficial employment for me.  I am willing to learn and work within the policy the company needs.

I worked in the super sport area putting cans on the line. My first day I was made fun of because I was going slow and the 2 other people on the line were worried about making production because that’s what our pay was based of. The one ended up getting fired. The next day I worked the manager said I’ve done put this machine on slow and you can’t keep up and threatened saying she was gonna tell upper management. All that place is about drama. I go to work to make a paycheck, not put up with being made fun of when I’m doing the best I can. I can understand why others told me nobody ever stays. When your made fun of and put down by management and your coworkers when it’s your first week might I add, who would want to.  Thankfully I have another job and I’m kissing this place goodbye

Carolina Beverage is relatively young compared to its competitors but has healthy relationships with some of the major players in the industry.  This has resulted in a company that is learning on the fly, which presents challenges in the workplace that can be alternatively fun and frustrating.  I believe management is genuinely concerned about its employees, but doesn't always take time to identify with the daily struggles of the workers.  Despite this disconnect, the management does listen, though they are not always able to address each issue.

They have plenty of work which is good to earn. After a couple years of working all the time and little vacation you get burnt out. In the end I used less than half my vacation time and wasn't pay for what they owed me. Very hot environment in the summer, in the last year we lost 35-40% of the production staff and some management. Maintenance is expected to work mandatory overtime no excuses. Turn over in maintenance is the highest I have ever seen in a plant. There are a lot of good people working for CBG which is the reason I stayed as long as I did. I don't think the top management really cares about the moral of the worker. It has plummeted in the past year and a half.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Forklift operator 39 salaries reported	$19.76 per hour
Technician 22 salaries reported	$20.49 per hour
Machine operator 24 salaries reported	$19.63 per hour
Shift leader 18 salaries reported	$23.75 per hour
Brewer 20 salaries reported	$19.25 per hour

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