By Karen Hanna
A blow molding pioneer whose company produced the first 2-liter bottle for The Coca-Cola Co. has died.
Charles Sewell, of Marietta, Ga., the co-founder of Sewell Plastics and founder CKS Packaging, died March 23, 2026, at the age of 93. According to the Plastics Hall of Fame, which inducted him as a member in 2025, he was considered a mentor to many next-generation leaders in the industry.
A 1949 graduate of Austell High School, where he played football and basketball, Sewell attended Georgia Tech before earning a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Piedmont College in 1954, with double minors in science and physical education (PE). He dreamed of becoming a coach and PE teacher, but when he was passed over for an eighth-grade coaching position, he joined his family’s business, Sewell Dairy Supply, in Atlanta.
According to his obituary, Sewell Dairy Supply provided dairies across the Southeast with a variety of products essential to their business — including stainless steel fittings, rubber boots and gloves, wax paper cartons and chocolate milk mix. At age 26, Sewell bought his first company, which made wax paper cartons, from his uncle, Cliff Sewell, eventually merging that business with Sewell Dairy Supply.
“In 1964, Sewell saw his first plastic gallon milk jug and immediately recognized its potential,” the obituary states. With the support of their father, he and his younger brother, Joe, co-founded Sewell Plastics, which eventually grew to five manufacturing plants serving dairies throughout the Southeast. In 1970, Dorsey Corp. bought the company, with Sewell staying on as president.
In 1976, the company produced the first 2-liter bottle for Coca-Cola, a moment that led to dramatic growth and became for Sewell a career highlight.
Though he was reluctant to give interviews or talk about his own achievements, Sewell recounted for a Journal of Blow Molding (JBM) article in 2023 that he knew the move to plastic bottles would pay off.
At the time, he said, an executive told him they would see “who wins, glass or you.” He replied, “ ‘I don’t have any fear at all that we are going to capitalize.’ And we did!”
He stayed with Dorsey Corp. until 1982, growing it into a $300-million-a-year company. Then, after fulfilling a three-year non-compete agreement, he got back into plastics with the 1985 establishment of CKS Packaging, named for his initials.
Operating around principles that reflected Sewell’s deep Christian faith, CKS Packaging has become one of the biggest blow molding companies in North America. It still follows what Sewell called his covenant: the promise of tithing, not working on Sunday and starting every meeting with prayer.
While initially he envisioned only a small operation with one plant, Sewell quickly grew the company, often rehiring former employees drawn by their loyalty to him.
Catherine, his wife of 46 years, recalled to JBM, “He told them he couldn’t afford them, but they came anyway.”
Today, CKS Packaging has more than 20 plants, and it is run by Sewell’s three sons.
According to the Plastics Hall of Fame, Sewell founded Maximum Impact Love (MIL), a nonprofit affiliated with CKS Packaging that provides food, clothing and housing to those in need. He also helped launch Safe House, an inner-city organization for the unhoused in Atlanta.
His son, Drew, now runs MIL, along with working for CKS Packaging.
Sewell also was proud of the company’s support of Second Chance hiring and employees; as of 2022, at least 10 percent of the custom packaging maker’s 3,000 employees had come from a background that included time in jail or prison.
Rich DiFelice, a mold room employee, shared for a 2022 Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing article his insights since coming to the company after serving a lengthy prison sentence.
“Since I’ve been out, I've tried to lend a hand to people. … Whether it’s staying and helping them with their flat tires, or rides or whatever. … As people will open their heart to you, you try to open to your heart to them,” he said.
Sewell remained active with the company into his 90s.
In his interview with JBM, he shared a key to his company’s success: “We built our business on service to the customer. Whatever they needed, any time, day or night or holiday, no one came close to the service we were offering.”
Among his accomplishments at CKS Packaging, Sewell introduced clear handled juice containers.
In 1984, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Plastics Engineers.
According to his obituary, he was devoted to God, his company, his family and Georgia Tech football. He enjoyed golf and fishing.
He and his wife supported more than 50 ministries worldwide, including Mount Paran North Church and Mount Paran Christian School in the Atlanta area.
He is survived by Catherine and their five children: Charles Kenneth (Kenny) and Ginger Sewell; John Robert and Stacey Sewell; William Andrew (Drew) and Kelle Sewell; Scott King and Dedra Sewell of Marietta; and Samantha Sewell Stephens and Richy Stephens.
He had 15 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and four step-great-great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Georgia Tech Football Athletic Department at www.givecampus.com/campaigns/78558/donations/new.
About the Author
Karen Hanna
Senior Staff Reporter
Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.