Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I is celebrating eight decades of production at its Coleford factory with a £57.5 million investment programme designed to strengthen manufacturing capability, improve sustainability performance and support the future of one of the UK’s best-known beverage sites.

The Forest of Dean facility, widely known as the ‘Ribena factory’, began production in 1947 and later incorporated Lucozade manufacturing in 1957. Today, the site employs more than 300 people and produces more than 420 million litres of Lucozade and Ribena each year for customers across Great Britain and Ireland.

The anniversary comes alongside a series of major investments across manufacturing, processing, packaging and energy infrastructure as Suntory looks to modernise the site while maintaining its role as a key part of UK beverage production.

“Even with eight decades of manufacturing behind it, the factory looks forward to a bright future,” said Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, with the company highlighting ongoing investment to “evolve a site that produces some of Britain’s best-loved soft drinks.”

Investing in future manufacturing capability

The largest element of the current investment programme is a new £25 million manufacturing line at the Coleford site, which is due to begin production in 2027. A further £3.5 million is being invested in a new warehouse to support the construction of the line.

The programme also includes £14.5 million for a next-generation blackcurrant processing facility in Ledbury, designed to support production ahead of the summer harvest.

According to Suntory, the investment programme reflects a longer-term approach to strengthening supply chain resilience and ensuring the company can continue manufacturing at scale in the UK.

“The significance of this milestone isn’t simply that our factory has been here for 80 years; it’s that we’re continuing to protect its future for the decades still to come,” said Elise Seibold, chief executive officer, SBF GB&I.

“It’s a responsibility and commitment to the people who work here today, to the generations who were guardians of the site before us and to the community that continues to be such an important part of Coleford’s story.”

Reducing energy use and improving sustainability

Alongside production investment, Suntory is also targeting energy efficiency and carbon reduction at the site.

A £6.1 million 33kV electrification project is expected to reduce the factory’s reliance on its gas turbine, with Suntory stating that the project could reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 58% once completed.

The company said this would put SBF GB&I ahead of its 2030 target of achieving a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Sustainability investment has also extended to packaging, with £13.9 million spent over the past six years on improving the recyclability of ready-to-drink bottles across Ribena, Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Energy.

Projects have included reducing the size of plastic sleeves used on bottles, with investment across the brands including £1.6 million for Ribena in 2020, £6 million for Lucozade Sport in 2021 and £6.3 million for Lucozade Energy in 2025.

Protecting manufacturing skills

While investment in equipment and infrastructure forms a major part of the factory’s future strategy, Suntory also highlighted the role of people and skills in maintaining the site’s long-term success.

More than half of employees at Coleford have been part of the business for at least ten years, while six apprentices are currently learning their trade at the facility.

Karl Ottomar, supply chain director, SBF GB&I, said: “What makes the people in our factory special is their ability to keep moving forward while holding on to the knowledge, skills and pride built up over decades.”

“As we continue to invest in the site, it’s about more than strengthening resilience and productivity; it’s about backing the people, skills and community that have made it such an important part of British manufacturing.”

A long-term commitment to UK production

The Coleford factory’s history stretches back to the post-war expansion of British food and drink manufacturing, but Suntory’s latest investment programme highlights the continued importance of upgrading established production sites to meet future demands.

The company said the anniversary represents “a story of British heritage, powered by Japanese innovation”, bringing together the site’s manufacturing history with ongoing investment in technology, sustainability and operational capability.