Pepsi Co. will build its largest plant in the United States near the Denver Airport, the company announced Wednesday. The new manufacturing facility will sit on 152 acres near East 72nd Avenue and Tower Road, just south of E-470, at the Denver High Point development area.
PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) said the 1.2 million-square-foot facility will create nearly 250 new jobs in the Denver area in addition to retaining 250 current employees.
The new facility will replace Pepsi’s River North Art District location that has been in operation since the 1950s near Interstate 70 and Brighton Boulevard. That plant was sold to a buyer last month, but PepsiCo said it will continue leasing the building for its operations until the new Denver facility opens in 2023. The new development will hold three times the capacity of the Brighton Boulevard facility, Pepsi said. The facility will produce many products including Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Gatorade, bubly, Rockstar, Propel and Muscle Milk. The new facility will aim to achieve 100% renewable electricity, best-in-class water efficiency and reduced virgin plastic use, according to PBNA.
“We’re thrilled to call Denver, a city that shares so many of our values, home to PepsiCo’s most sustainable U.S. plant location,” PBNA West Division President Johannes Evenblij said. “With the High Point facility serving a model for the future of PBNA’s supply chain, we’re eager to continue deepening our dedication to Colorado through positive impacts such as new job opportunities and more sustainable business solutions.”
Pepsi has been operating in Colorado since 1936.
