Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling revealed plans for a substantial expansion of its operations at its current facility in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. With plans to invest $500 million to transform the facility, Rancho Cucamonga is set to become the fourth location where Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling manufactures in California ― the others being in Downey, Los Angeles and San Leandro.

The planned project includes the demolition and rebuild of the Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling facility currently located at 10670 6th St. During construction, operations will relocate to a temporary location in Fontana.

When complete, the new facility will be transformed from a single-building distribution center to a 620,000-square-foot state-of-the-art campus with full production capabilities. Designed with safety and sustainability as top priorities, the newly constructed bottling and distribution center will include added employee amenities such as expanded break rooms, training rooms, a parking garage with EV charging stations; also a tour gallery, fleet shop and recycling center. Additionally, the plans call for maximizing efficiencies around energy and water use, including drought-resistant landscaping.

“We’re thrilled to be able to reimagine our Rancho Cucamonga facility to better support our vision to be the leader in the beverage business by delivering unmatched value to our employees, customers, and our local communities,” said Steve Raubolt, San Diego market unit president of Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, in a statement. “We look forward to building on our rich history with the City of Rancho Cucamonga and sharing more about our plans in the coming months.”

The new facility will mark the first Coca-Cola production facility built in California in nearly 60 years, according to the company. It will be a flagship facility within Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling and the Coca-Cola system. BI

Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling in Rancho Cucamonga announces expansion project

Bacardi Limited, Hamilton, Bermuda, announced the completion of a transaction that makes the family-owned company the sole owner of ILEGAL Mezcal, a leading super premium artisanal mezcal.

The transaction follows a successful relationship in which Bacardi partnered with ILEGAL since 2015.

“We believe that ILEGAL has the credentials to own and lead the super-premium mezcal category at a global level. ILEGAL perfectly complements our portfolio and bringing it into our business sets the brand up for even greater growth as mezcal captivates more and more consumers,” said Barry Kabalkin, vice chairman of Bacardi Limited, in a statement.

John Rexer created ILEGAL in 2006, after years of working with small distillers in Oaxaca to make mezcal for his bar in Guatemala. He has worked closely with the distillers in Oaxaca to create sustainable jobs, and to be a positive force in protecting the environment and preserving local culture. Rexer will continue to guide the vision of the brand.

“We are excited about the next stage of the journey,” Rexer said. “Success for ILEGAL goes beyond seeing more of our bottles on shelves; it’s about building our business the right way. We will always be committed to artisanal production, the Oaxacan community, and our core values. Being a part of Bacardi will bring ILEGAL to a larger audience while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and growing the business responsibly.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. BI

Bacardi acquires ILEGAL Mezcal

After a brief hiatus, American brand Crispin Cider returns to shelves in October, thanks to a licensing agreement finalized between Minneapolis Cider Co., Minneapolis, and Molson Coors Beverage Co., Chicago. The new deal will see Minneapolis Cider take over all aspects of day-to-day brand management, including new product innovation, production and sales through its taproom and distributors nationwide. Crispin was originally founded in Northeast Minneapolis, only a few blocks from Minneapolis Cider Co. Crispin will first make its appearance in select markets this fall, starting with Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. The rollout will continue over the next 24 months, eventually becoming available nationwide before jumping across the pond and launching for the first time in the United Kingdom, the company says.

Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, announced a $22.5 million investment in its Houston brewery, which includes upgrades to the facility’s internal systems to enhance workplace safety and improve brewery efficiency. The $22.5 million investment includes an upgrade to the Houston brewery's cooling system, improving workplace safety and reducing electricity consumption by 2,180,000 kWh a year. To equip the brewery with a modern, highly efficient system, the existing cooling system will be completely removed and repositioned to ensure improved functionality. A free-standing structure also will be added to house the evaporative condensers. The Houston brewery’s new cooling system will be fully operational by Q4 2023.

Icelandic Glacial, Los Angeles, announced that it has received new equity funding from new and existing investors. The new investor group, through an investment holding company based in Liechtenstein, will acquire a substantial stake in the bottled water company by way of subscribing new shares and injecting substantial capital into the business. Along with the new share issuance, the existing investors, including the Icelandic founders and funds managed by Blackrock’s US Private Credit team, converted and reinvested the majority of their existing debt into equity to remain as significant shareholders in the company to together strengthen and support the growth of the business with the new incoming majority shareholder, it says.

Donae Burston, founder and CEO of La Fête Wine Co., announced the hire of two industry veterans to the team. Scott Friedeck joins La Fête as vice president of national accounts. He will bring his 23 years of industry expertise and successful track record to lead and drive the growth of La Fête on this next chapter. Jennifer Allen joins as business development manager of DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia), bringing with her more than a decade’s worth of supplier and wholesaler experience. “As La Fête continues to grow our footprint nationally ― in both accounts and products ― we know that building the perfect team is essential,” Burston said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome both Scott and Jennifer’s innovative insights and customer-centric leadership to our rapidly growing brand. Today’s announcement continues to set the stage for the next chapter in our history.”

Restaurant Brands International (RBI) announced that its four restaurant brands in the United States ― Burger King, Popeyes, Firehouse Subs and Tim Hortons ― have renewed their valued relationship with Coca-Cola until 2033. Under the new agreements, Coca-Cola will invest in and support marketing priorities with all four restaurant brands to drive additional traffic and contribute to growing franchisee profitability. “Coca-Cola has proven to be an exceptional partner, and we know our guests in the U.S. love to pair our iconic food offerings with Coca-Cola beverages. We are proud to renew our long-standing relationship and work together to grow our market share in the U.S.,” said Josh Kobza, CEO of RBI, in a statement.