Iconic California Coca-Cola bottling plant closing – Business News
One of Ventura’s longest-running companies is getting ready to close its doorways for good after being tied to the local people for more than 100 years.
Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling confirmed final week that its Ventura distribution and bottling facility will completely close on July 10, ending a relationship between the seaside California metropolis and Coca-Cola operations that stretch back to the early 1900s.
The shutdown is anticipated to have an effect on 85 employees, though the company says the bulk of staff might be transferred to different Southern California services.
The Ventura closure is reportedly half of a broader effort to streamline operations and improve long-term effectivity. Google Maps
“We regularly assess our locations, products and services to ensure we can continue driving sustainable growth and innovation across our business,” a spokesperson for Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling stated in a assertion emailed to SFGATE. “As such, we have announced the closure of our Ventura Distribution Center and the transfer of operations to our other Southern California facilities.”
The company stated July 10 will mark the plant’s remaining day of operations.
“Eighty-five is the correct number of employees affected by the shift in operations,” the spokesperson added. “Most (78) will be reassigned to other RCCB facilities. Additionally, affected employees have the option of applying for any open roles for which they are qualified within RCCB and our sister companies.”
The company additionally shuttered a longtime plant in Salinas after more than 70 years in business. AP
The closure marks the top of a decades-long chapter in Ventura’s manufacturing historical past.
Coca-Cola’s roots within the metropolis date back to 1912, when the primary native bottling plant opened close to Front Street, in keeping with the Ventura County Star.
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Over the years, the operation expanded and relocated a number of instances as demand for tender drinks surged throughout the area. By the Nineteen Fifties, Ventura had grow to be a notable hub for soda manufacturing.
“Two of the nation’s top soft drink bottlers and dispensers, Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Nehi Bottling company, operate modern plants here,” the Ventura County Star wrote of their May 1953 version. “At peak operations their combined 23-hour output can reach 3,500 cases of soft drinks.”
The company stated July 10 will mark the plant’s remaining day of operations. Google Maps
The newspaper additionally documented the company’s early historical past in Ventura, writing: “The soda pop business is by no means new to Ventura, Coca-Cola opening its first bottling plant here in 1912 at a spot just off Front street now the scene of U.S. 101 highway Meta street cut-off.”
The facility later moved to West Main Street earlier than a bigger plant opened in 1937 close to Seward Avenue and Thompson Boulevard.
Ventura is just not the one California neighborhood to just lately lose a Coca-Cola operation.
Last 12 months, one other Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling facility in American Canyon introduced plans to close, leading to 135 layoffs earlier than operations ceased in August.
The company additionally shuttered a longtime plant in Salinas after more than 70 years in business, consolidating operations in close by San Jose and affecting one other 81 employees.
“You know, we would have preferred San Jose consolidated into Salinas, but that’s not the way it works,” Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue advised KSBW-TV on the time. “Having said that, we do believe it’s an attractive facility. I know at least three parties that have expressed interest in the facility, so we’re certainly encouraged by that.”
Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling stated the Ventura closure is an element of a broader effort to streamline operations and improve long-term effectivity.
The company stated it expects the transition “to better position us for long-term growth and enhanced service for our customers and consumers.”
“As always,” the spokesperson added, “we’ve communicated this important update to our employees and stakeholders.”
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