The US coffee roaster and beverage group said the $315m coffee roasting and ready-to-drink (RTD) manufacturing facility represents the ‘pinnacle of innovative beverage production’ and will enable it to meet rising RTD coffee demand in the US
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Westrock Coffee CEO Scott Ford (right) raising an RTD coffee can at the opening of the new facility | Photo credit: Westrock Coffee
Westrock Coffee has inaugurated its $315m roast to ready-to-drink (RTD) manufacturing facility in Conway, Arkansas, reportedly the largest of its kind globally.
The US coffee roaster and beverage group began work on the 570,000sq ft facility in November 2022 as part of a strategy to reduce its reliance on packaged wholebean and ground coffee sales and cater to ‘significant demand and growth’ in the RTD coffee segment.
In November 2022, Westrock acquired California-based extract and RTD business Kohana Coffee in a bid to accelerate the development, production, and distribution of RTD products.
The new Conway facility uses robotics and end-to-end automation across the entire production process – from receiving green coffee to roasting, grinding, extraction and packaging. It also houses a research and development lab to test new products.
At the opening ceremony, Westrock Coffee CEO Scott Ford said the site squarely positions the business at the forefront of RTD coffee innovation and production.
“The opening of the Conway facility marks a critical milestone for Westrock Coffee as we launch the largest integrated beverage facility of its kind. This uniquely positions us as a leading force in beverage production across any channel and beverage format,” he said.
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In January 2024, Westrock Coffee commenced operations at its 530,000sq ft distribution centre in Conway which will provide warehouse and distribution support to the new roast to RTD site.
Westrock Coffee began roasting coffee in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2010 and has scaled its operations to source coffee, tea and extracts from 35 countries. The business has trading offices in the US, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Colombia, Peru, Germany and the UK, alongside manufacturing sites in the US and Malaysia.
Costly investments in production facilities were key contributors to Westrock Coffee’s $34.6m net loss last year. The Arkansas-based coffee roaster and beverage group saw total sales fall 0.4% to $864.7m in the 12 months ending 31 December 2023 while adjusted EBITDA decreased 25% to $45.1m.