KDP Ireland, the Irish arm of soft drinks maker Keurig Dr Pepper, has opened a 300,000 sq ft international operations hub in Newbridge, the group's second manufacturing plant for beverage concentrate and first outside North America.
Dr Pepper, launched in the United States in 1904, is one of the most popular soft drinks in North America but has never achieved the global success of its soda pop peer Coca-Cola.
KDP Ireland plans to add 20 jobs at the site by the end of the year, adding to the team of 80 working there across operations, quality assurance, engineering, planning, and research and development.
The Co Kildare facility will be responsible for sourcing materials and ingredients from the European market and worldwide, along with supply chain teams in Canada and Mexico, and it will also serve as a 'centre of excellence' for beverage concentrate production.
David Lainchbury, senior VP of international operations, said the opening was the "culmination of two years of overcoming extraordinary challenges".
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"We are very thankful to our team, our design and construction suppliers and our community neighbours who have all played an integral role in setting us up for success,” he said
Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland, said the decision endorsed Ireland's reputation as "a global location for manufacturing and supply chain excellence" and welcomed the announcement of additional jobs.
Keurig Dr Pepper has annual turnover of $12bn from soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, water, juice and juice drinks and mixers.
The group employs c.27,000 people worldwide. Its brands include Keurig, Dr Pepper, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Canada Dry and Snapple.
Last week Keurig Dr Pepper Inc advised shareholders to reject a ‘mini-tender’ offer by TRC Capital to purchase 5% of the company’s shares. The tender offer price was at a 4% discount to prevailing share price.
The company stated: “The SEC has cautioned investors about mini-tender offers in an investor alert, advising that some bidders make mini-tender offers at below-market prices ‘hoping that they will catch investors off guard if the investors do not compare the offer price to the current market price’.”
Photo: (l-r): Keurig Dr Pepper executives David Thomas and David Lainchbury with minister Martin Heydon. (Pic: Maxwells)
