Ribena factory marks 80 years in Forest of Dean

The famous blackcurrant drink has been manufactured in Coleford since 1947

A factory in Gloucestershire that makes Ribena and Lucozade is celebrating 80 years in the Forest of Dean. Known to most people locally as the ‘Ribena factory’, the famous blackcurrant drink has been manufactured in Coleford since 1947, while Lucozade started being produced on site in 1957.

Evidence of the facility’s long history remains visible today, with blackcurrant stains from berries pressed in the 1940s preserved in the factory’s concrete paving.

Japanese-owned Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I (SBF GB&I) acquired the Lucozade and Ribena brands in 2014 and the factory is now one of the largest Suntory-owned plants in Europe, employing 300 people and producing more than 420 million litres of Lucozade and Ribena each year.

The company is investing heavily in the site, with targeted spending across its supply chain in projects to improve operational efficiency, support the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions and deliver a lasting economic boost to the region totalling more than £57m.

Investment includes a new £25m manufacturing line due to start production in 2027 and £14.5m on a next-generation blackcurrant processing facility in Ledbury.

Sustainability projects also remain central to the factory’s long-term growth, according to SBF GB&I. In the past six years, more than £13m has been spent on improving the recyclability of the ready-to-drink bottles produced at the factory, reducing the size of the plastic sleeve on bottles of Ribena, Lucozade Sport and Lucozade Energy.

Another £6m is also being spent on an electrification project to reduce the factory’s reliance on its gas turbine.

Elise Seibold, chief executive of SBF GB&I, said: “The significance of this milestone isn’t simply that our factory has been here for 80 years; it’s that we’re continuing to protect its future for the decades still to come.

“It’s a responsibility and commitment to the people who work here today, to the generations who were guardians of the site before us and to the community that continues to be such an important part of Coleford’s story.”

Matt Bishop, the Labour MP for the Forest of Dean, added: “For eight decades, the factory has been at the heart of the Forest of Dean, producing iconic British brands while providing skilled, secure jobs that have supported generations of local families.

“What stands out most is the commitment of the people who work here. The pride, loyalty, and expertise of the workforce have been central to the factory’s success over many decades, and it is clear that investment in people remains just as important today as investment in facilities.”