Coca-Cola’s only bottling plant in Hawaii is set to close at the end of January, ending production at a facility that’s been operating in Honolulu since 1960.
The plant sits at 949 Mapunapuna St. The reason, according to the company, is blunt – it’s old, and keeping it running anymore would take major work. The facility “reached its operational life, and significant upgrades would be required to continue production,” said Joe Carter, vice president and general manager of Coca-Cola Bottling of Hawaii — The Odom Corporation, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The bottling operation in Hawaii is run by The Odom Corporation, a Bellevue, Washington-based company that owns the Coca-Cola franchise for bottling and distribution in Hawaii and Alaska. Odom bought the Mapunapuna Street plant from Coca-Cola about 10 years ago, though the site itself dates back 65 years.
Carter said the plant won’t be replaced with another production facility. Instead, Odom plans to build a new warehouse at Kapolei Business Park West in Honolulu.
“The decision to close our production facility in Hawaii is part of a strategic optimization plan for the Odom Corporation’s beverage businesses in the state,” Carter told the Star-Advertiser. SFGATE reported it could not reach Odom for comment before publication.
The closure is expected to affect 25 employees, according to Carter, with offers for other local roles inside the company. Some of the workers have been at the plant for more than three decades.
“While production will transition to other locations, we will continue employing local team members in sales, distribution and service, delivering the same high quality beverages our communities know and love,” Carter told the outlet.
Odom does not have other production sites in Hawaii, but it operates nine other warehouses across the state. The company also markets and distributes beverages in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington.
The Hawaii shutdown follows at least 8-9 bottling plants have closed or been announced for closure since 2020. Coca-Cola announced in 2021 that it planned to close a plant in Northampton, Massachusetts, and earlier this year its Napa County bottling plant shuttered back in June.
It’s worth noting that while Coca-Cola has been closing many of its bottling facilities, the company isn’t in financial distress at all—sales have actually increased. Instead, the closures are part of a broader strategy to simplify operations and increase efficiency through automation and partnerships with external bottling companies.
Source: SFGate