Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I) is to plough £25m into improvements at its Lucozade and Ribena production facility in Coleford, Gloucestershire.
The supplier is to replace two old Ribena packaging lines with a single high-speed line capable of packaging both Ribena and Lucozade SKUs.
Neither of the two lines being retired were involved in the fatality that shut down production for several days at Coleford in 2024, The Grocer understands.
The shutdown resulted in retailers and wholesalers experiencing shortages of both Lucozade and Ribena throughout 2024 and into last year.
Installing the new ‘Apollo 5’ line would help “improve efficiency and reduce operational complexity”, said SBF GB&I.
It was capable of producing 55,000 bottles per hour and was more energy and water efficient than its predecessors, the supplier added.
Work on the new line will begin this year, with the first production run expected in early 2027.
“This next chapter is about investing in our factory to strengthen the future of two iconic British brands, Lucozade and Ribena,” said SBF GB&I COO Elise Seibold. “We’re dedicating £25m to this new line to set us up for long-term success and it wouldn’t be possible without the support from our Suntory owners in Japan.
“As we celebrate 80 years since our factory was first built, it reinforces our commitment to the Forest of Dean in the south west and we’re proud to be major contributors to the regional economy.”
The investment follows a £6m sustainability project announced last year to electrify the Coleford factory and reduce its reliance on a gas turbines.
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