Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I is celebrating 80 years since construction began on its Coleford factory in the Forest of Dean.
Known locally as the ‘Ribena factory’, the site has manufactured the blackcurrant drink since 1947. Lucozade production was added in 1957.
Evidence of the site’s long history remains visible today, with blackcurrant stains from berries pressed in the 1940s preserved in the factory’s concrete paving.
Suntory acquired the Lucozade and Ribena brands in 2014 and continues to invest in the Coleford site, which produces more than 420 million litres of Lucozade and Ribena each year for customers across Great Britain and Ireland.
Major targeted investments across the supply chain total more than £57m. This includes a new £25m manufacturing line due to start production in 2027 and £14.5m on a next-generation blackcurrant processing facility in Ledbury, which was operational in time for this summer’s harvest.
Sustainability projects also remain central to the site’s long-term growth. In the past six years, more than £13m has been spent to improve the recyclability of the ready-to-drink bottles produced at the factory, reducing the size of the plastic sleeve on Ribena, Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Energy bottles.
A further £6m is being spent on an electrification project to reduce the factory’s reliance on its gas turbine. The project is expected to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 58% once completed, putting SBF GB&I ahead of its 2030 target to reduce emissions by 50%.
One of Suntory’s largest facilities in Europe, the Coleford factory continues to employ generations of local people.
