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Kerry opened a 48,600-square-foot coffee roasting and extraction facility near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in September 2026. The plant can roast up to 22 million pounds of coffee a year and will make ingredients for business customers across beverage and food applications; it currently employs more than 50 people.
Kerry opened a 48,600-square-foot coffee roasting and extraction facility near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in September, adding annual roasting capacity of up to 22 million pounds as the company expands its supply of coffee ingredients for business customers. The plant combines roasting with hot and cold extraction, concentration, blending and packaging for products used in beverages and foods.
The facility is designed to make custom coffee ingredients for applications including ready-to-drink beverages, cold brew, frozen desserts and savory sauces. Kerry says its production systems can process coffee through several stages, from roasting and extraction to concentration and finished-ingredient packaging. The company plans to serve business-to-business customers in hot and cold coffee, foodservice and functional beverage markets.
The plant currently has more than 50 employees, including workers retained from the site’s previous operator, botanical ingredients maker Martin Bauer Group. Kerry acquired certain assets at the site in April 2025 for €14.8 million, or about $16.6 million, after the former operation ceased. It repurposed some existing equipment and installed additional roasting and packaging equipment, processing technology and manufacturing procedures for its dedicated coffee operation.
Kerry North America Vice President of Beverage Taste William Kelly told Daily Coffee News that the company sees the facility as more than additional production space. He said the site brings coffee specialists together with flavorists, sensory scientists, beverage developers, process engineers and nutrition experts. Kerry expects that combination to support ingredient development for established coffee products as well as newer beverage formats.
More Capacity for Coffee Ingredients
The opening gives Kerry a larger U.S. base for producing roasted and extracted coffee ingredients, potentially reducing the need for customers to source those capabilities from separate suppliers. The plant’s range of processes allows the company to offer ingredients tailored to different uses, from chilled ready-to-drink beverages to food products. The report does not state how much of the facility’s capacity is already committed or how quickly production will ramp up.
Kerry also sees opportunities beyond conventional coffee. Kelly told Daily Coffee News that the company is exploring applications such as protein-enhanced coffee, energy and hydration drinks, and reduced-sugar beverages. These are company ambitions, not announced product launches. If developed for customers, such ingredients could connect coffee with wider functional beverage trends, but the company has not disclosed specific customers, formulations or launch dates.
For the Bethlehem area, the facility preserves or repurposes some employment associated with the former site while adding a coffee-focused operation. Kerry reports that it currently employs more than 50 people there; the company has not provided a forecast for future staffing. The investment also extends Kerry’s North American coffee capabilities within a larger business that supplies taste, nutrition and related ingredients across multiple industries.
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From Martin Bauer Site to Coffee Plant
The Pennsylvania facility occupies a site previously used by Martin Bauer Group, a botanical ingredients company. After that operation stopped, Kerry acquired certain site assets in April 2025. The asset purchase preceded the conversion of the facility into a dedicated coffee roasting and extraction plant, which Kerry formally opened in September 2026.
Kerry is an Ireland-founded, publicly traded company headquartered in Tralee. The company’s history in North American coffee ingredients includes its 2003 acquisition of Seattle-based flavor syrup maker DaVinci Gourmet and its 2008 acquisition of Portland, Maine-based X Café, which added shelf-stable coffee extract technology to its beverage business. The new Pennsylvania site adds roasting and processing capacity to that existing portfolio.
Daily Coffee News reports that Kerry operates 119 manufacturing locations and more than 60 technology and innovation centers worldwide, with approximately 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries. Those figures describe the wider company, not the size or output of the new plant. The Pennsylvania operation is focused on supplying ingredients to other businesses rather than being described as a consumer-facing coffee brand or retail roastery.
“Beyond capacity, our ambition is to redefine what an ingredient partner can contribute to coffee.”
— William Kelly, Kerry North America vice president of beverage taste, speaking to Daily Coffee News
Production Plans Still Undisclosed
Kerry has not disclosed the plant’s current production volume, its expected utilization rate or a schedule for reaching full capacity. The stated 22 million pounds per year is the facility’s roasting capacity, not a reported annual output. The company also has not named customers, shared contract values or said how much of production will go to each application.
The company has described possible product areas including protein-enhanced coffee and energy or hydration drinks, but it has not announced specific products or commercial launch dates. It is also unclear whether the current workforce of more than 50 will grow as operations expand. These details may become clearer as Kerry begins serving customers from the site.
Customer Production and Product Development
Kerry says the Pennsylvania facility will develop and supply coffee ingredients for business customers across hot and cold coffee, ready-to-drink beverages, foodservice and functional drinks. The immediate next step is production and customer collaboration using the site’s roasting, extraction, blending and packaging systems. The company has not provided a public timetable for capacity ramp-up or announced a specific next milestone.
Further updates to watch for include disclosed customer programs, new ingredient or beverage applications, staffing changes and information about actual output. Until Kerry releases those details, the plant’s full commercial contribution cannot be measured against its stated annual capacity.
Key Questions
Where is Kerry’s new coffee plant?
The 48,600-square-foot facility is near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Kerry opened it in September 2026.
How much coffee can the plant roast?
Kerry says the facility has capacity to roast 22 million pounds annually. That figure is capacity, not a confirmed report of actual yearly production.
What products will the facility make?
The plant will produce coffee ingredients for business customers, using roasting, hot and cold extraction, concentration, blending and packaging. Intended applications include ready-to-drink beverages, cold brew, foodservice, frozen desserts and savory sauces.
How many people work at the site?
Kerry reports that the facility currently employs more than 50 people, including workers retained from the former operator. The company has not said whether it expects staffing to increase.
Has Kerry announced new coffee products from the plant?
No specific product launches were announced in the report. Kerry executive William Kelly identified protein-enhanced coffee, energy and hydration drinks, and reduced-sugar beverages as possible areas for development, but those remain company-stated opportunities rather than confirmed launches.
Source: dailycoffeenews.com
