Starbucks’ Evolution Fresh to open Rancho Cucamonga juice factory

Starbucks is opening a hi-tech juice-making facility in Rancho Cucamonga next year that the company said will quadruple the production and distribution capacity of its Evolution Fresh business.

The 260,000-square-foot factory will create 160 manufacturing jobs, according to Starbucks. Of those, 120 jobs will be shifted from San Bernardino, where Evolution Fresh was first launched and where the juices are currently made.

The facility will be Starbucks’ sixth manufacturing site in the U.S. – the coffee giant also has locations 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 is also adding a new flavor, Raspberry Watermelon, to such stores as well as in the two Evolution Fresh stores currently open in Washington. Earlier this summer, 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.”

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