Suntory Beverage & Food, the producer of soft drink brands Lucozade and Ribena, is investing in its production in the UK.

In a statement yesterday (25 February), the company said it will invest £25m ($33.9m) to build a manufacturing line at its facility in Coleford in south-west England.

The construction of the new line is due to begin this year on a former production area at the site. Commissioning is expected in early 2027.

Suntory Beverage & Food said the line will replace two existing Ribena lines that split production between concentrate and RTD formats. The company said it will be the first time it can run both formats on the same line.

The line will also manufacture Lucozade products. Once fully operational, the line is expected to reach an output of up to 55,000 bottles per hour.

The new line does not signal “an expansion of the site”, the business said, and is not expected to increase staff numbers, though it will use regional contractors during the construction phase.

Karl Ottomar, supply chain director for Suntory Beverage & Food's business in the country, said: “We’re not just replacing factory lines, we’re embracing new technology to future proof our operations and make them more efficient.”

The Coleford facility supplies the UK and Ireland, with some Lucozade and Ribena volumes exported via sister business Suntory Beverage & Food EECM-Benelux in Amsterdam.

Lucozade is exported to Malta, Gibraltar and the Seychelles, while Ribena is shipped to the Caribbean and Denmark.

Coleford is Suntory Beverage & Food's only manufacturing site in the UK and Ireland.

Last year, Suntory Beverage & Food named Josuke Kimura as its new representative director, president and CEO. Kimura will succeed Makiko Ono following the company's annual shareholders' meeting and a subsequent board meeting scheduled next month.