Starbucks to open new Evolution Fresh factory in Rancho Cucamonga
Starbucks is opening a high-tech facility in Rancho Cucamonga next year that the company said would quadruple the production and distribution capacity of its Evolution Fresh juice business.
The 260,000-square-foot factory will add 40 jobs to Evolution’s manufacturing workforce, bringing the total to 160, according to Starbucks Corp. The Seattle coffee chain said 120 jobs will be shifted from San Bernardino, where Evolution Fresh was launched and where the juices still are made.
The facility will be Starbucks’ sixth manufacturing site in the U.S. The company has coffee production plants in Washington, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Nevada and Georgia.
Starbucks moved into the $3.4-billion cold-crafted juice category in November when it bought Evolution Fresh for $30 million. So far, the brand has experienced “significant double-digit growth,” said Jeff Hansberry, president of channel development for Starbucks.
On Wednesday, Starbucks said it was adding three new juices — Cucumber Pineapple Ginger, Pineapple Coconut Water and Spicy Lemonade — to its offerings in natural food shops and high-end grocery stores along the West Coast.
The company also is adding a new flavor, Raspberry Watermelon, at those stores and at the two Evolution Fresh stores it opened in Washington. Last month, Starbucks said it planned to open an Evolution Fresh store in San Francisco come fall.
“We’re learning every day,” Hansberry said. “We’re not yet in a position to announce dates for further expansion at this time. But we love California. We’re going to be coming home soon.”
