The former Kimberly-Clark factory in Conway, Arkansas, that is being transformed into a Westrock Coffee production center. Westrock Coffee Company press photo.

Arkansas-based Westrock Coffee Company is expanding into a 524,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Conway, northwest of its headquarters in Little Rock.

The full-service coffee roasting, packaging and private-label provider is also expanding its manufacturing capacity for extracts at its existing factory in Concord, North Carolina, which it acquired through the $405 million acquisition of S&D Coffee & Tea last year.

In addition, Westrock has completed construction on its first roasting, manufacturing and packaging facility outside the United States: a 90,000-square-foot two-building facility in Malaysia near the border of Singapore.

The capital outlay for the three new projects is expected to exceed $100 million, a Westrock Coffee Company representative told DCN.

The new Westrock Coffee production center in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Westrock Coffee Company press photo.

The company’s new facility in Conway was for decades a manufacturing center for feminine hygiene products under the previous owner, Kimberly-Clark. Prior to the factory closing — part of a facilities restructuring by the paper industry giant — the facility held some 350 employees.

With the purchase of the property complete, Westrock is expected to begin the buildout in the first quarter of 2022.

The company said it will be using the Conway factory for the development, production and distribution of coffee, tea and ready-to-drink (RTD) products. Westrock plans to incorporate advanced robotics for the manufacturing and packaging of beverages, as well as for the production of single-serve coffee cups.

The location is expected to accommodate 50 new jobs after the first buildout phase which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The company said the facility may ultimately accommodate approximately 250 jobs.

From left to right: Bart Castleberry, mayor of Conway, Arkansas; Will Ford, group president of Westrock Coffee; Scott Ford, CEO of Westrock Coffee; Joe Ford, co-founder and chairman of Westrock Coffee; Michael Preston, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Westrock Coffee Company press photo.

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Nick Brown Nick Brown is the editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine.

Tags: Arkansas, Concord, Conway, Kimberly Clark, Little Rock, Malaysia, manufacturing, North Carolina, S and D Coffee and Tea, Singapore, Westrock Coffee, Westrock Coffee Company

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