Politics Home | West Yorkshire Mayor visits CCEP’s Wakefield site, following Counter Cultures campaign launch

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) welcomed West Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayor, Tracy Brabin, to its Wakefield manufacturing site last week – the facility at the heart of the company’s new Counter Cultures campaign, which celebrates the people and businesses behind Britain’s food and drinks industry, from production lines to local pubs, cafés and independent retailers.

Brabin toured the site – which is Europe’s largest soft drinks facility by volume – to see how the company is contributing to local employment and skills development.

CCEP supports thousands of independent retailers, hospitality businesses and wholesalers across Yorkshire through a dedicated field sales team. The Wakefield site directly employs 600 people – including 27 apprentices – and has invested £103m in operations at the site since 2019.

It’s also where Mark and Lewis Baker, father and son, work as Reliability Engineer and Utilities & Facilities Apprentice respectively, whose story features prominently in the new Counter Cultures campaign.

The visit comes as new research shows 58% of Gen Z in the UK are considering vocational careers, with over half (52%) considering following in their families’ footsteps. A similar number (47%) are choosing to build careers closer to home – a trend particularly strong in Yorkshire where a third of respondents (33%) said they’ve noticed more young people staying local rather than moving away, with the majority citing positive impacts on local businesses, communities and economies.

The findings highlight a growing opportunity for companies to invest in place-based skills, creating career pathways that enable young people to build futures in their own communities, strengthening local economies and supporting regional growth.

During the visit, the Mayor also saw how technology is shaping the future of manufacturing, meeting Spot®, a robotic inspection dog developed by Boston Dynamics that has recently been introduced at CCEP’s Wakefield and East Kilbride sites. Spot supports maintenance teams by monitoring almost 600 inspection points across seven production lines, collecting real-time data without interrupting production.

Katharine Duncan, Wakefield Site Director, CCEP, said: “Showing Tracy around our Wakefield site meant she could see the community spirit of our team first-hand. Many colleagues have worked here for years, building friendships and taking pride in what they do. As one of Yorkshire’s long-standing local employers, we’re proud to offer job opportunities with clear progression.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “It was great to visit Coca-Cola and see how a global brand is creating new opportunities for young people right here in West Yorkshire by giving them the skills they need to build their careers.

“West Yorkshire is home to one of the largest food and drink sectors in the UK and having international businesses investing in our region is testament to what we have to offer and our commitment to growing the local economy. 

“Through our Local Growth Plan, we will continue working with partners to create more jobs, support local businesses and ensure people have the skills they need to succeed, helping to build a stronger, brighter region that works for all.”