Keurig Dr Pepper to close Virginia coffee plant, impacting 379 people
Keurig Dr Pepper plans to close a K-Cup manufacturing plant in Windsor, Virginia by the end of 2024. The closure will impact 379 employees.
The hot and cold beverage giant filed a WARN notice on July 16. The 330,000-square-foot plant opened in 2012, according to news outlet Wavy.
“The timing of this closure aligns with the production ramp of our Spartanburg, South Carolina manufacturing facility, and enables us to rebalance our production capacity geographically and advance our effort to operate efficiently,” a Keurig Dr Pepper spokesperson told Food Dive.
Employees will be eligible for support, including severance packages and career planning assistance.
The closure of the Virginia plant marks the latest change to the beverage maker’s coffee production network.
Last October, Keurig Dr Pepper announced it would continue the development of its coffee roasting and manufacturing facility in Spartanburg County. At the time, the company said it planned to invest $100 million and create an estimated 250 new jobs by 2027. This was in addition to the $380 million previously invested and 155 jobs currently at this location.
And earlier this year, Keurig Dr Pepper said it was closing a Vermont manufacturing plant and moving those operations to another location in the state.
Keurig Dr Pepper said in February the coffee brewing system had just under 40 million households users. Executives estimated there are more than 50 million new households Keurig could eventually add to its platform. It said a third of all coffeemakers sold in the U.S. are Keurig or Keurig-compatible models.
Food and beverage manufacturers have been closing facilities and opening or expanding existing plants to right-size production and improve efficiencies across their manufacturing networks.
PepsiCo announced in April it is closing a Quaker Oats plant in Illinois which will result in the loss of 510 jobs. Campbell Soup said a month later it was closing one plant and reducing the size of a second facility. It’s also investing $230 million through fiscal 2026 in newer, more efficient plants as it aims to improve the competitiveness of its supply chain.