DrinkPAK at Needham Ranch

JULY 2022

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL · 9

DrinkPAK at Needham Ranch

One of the largest and most advanced beverage manufacturing and distribution facilities in the US

BY JIM WALKER Signal Staff Writer

Those who travel south on the 14 Freeway through the Newhall Pass have watched the city of Santa Clarita grow right before their eyes, with the rapid buildout of a major industrial center in the hills west of Sierra Highway.

The Center at Needham Ranch is a 135-acre, masterplanned business park, approved in 2003 for more than 4 million square feet. All buildings in Phase 1 are now leased, and most in Phase 2.

Prominent among the businesses filling all that square footage is DrinkPAK. First opening at the Center in July of 2021, DrinkPAK has expanded its leases to now include three new and spacious buildings along Needham Ranch Parkway.

The company now leases Buildings 2, 3 and 4, for a total of 572,419 square feet of advanced warehouse and manufacturing space — and serves, as the website states, as “the premier West Coast contract manufacturer of premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.”

DrinkPAK CEO Nate Patena said, “We have an additional 201,000 square feet in Ventura County, and will be adding 200,000 additional square feet in Los Angeles County in mid-2023, for a total of just under 1 million square feet across our Southern California production and distribution campus.”

Laying claim to being the most technologically advanced canned beverage facilenergy drink, soda, beer, seltzer, and spirits brands.

Patena said, “Over the last three years, DrinkPAK has invested nearly $150 million to build one of America’s largest, most technologically advanced beverage manufacturing and distribution facilities in Santa Clarita. We will continue to heavily invest in projects which will bring additional high paying, high impact jobs to Santa Clarita and the surrounding areas.”

Breaking things down, DrinkPAK offers three main categories of services: beverage manufacturing, variety repacking, and warehousing and fulfillment. Currently, the company employs 241 people at the Santa Clarita location, and will employ as many as 425 once the facilities are complete in late 2023.

Estimates are that DrinkPAK

PHOTO COURTESY DRINKPAK

ity in North America, the 24/7 operation at Needham Ranch is capable of producing 2.1 billion cans across four packaging lines, which produce up to 2,000 cans per minute each.

DrinkPAK is a licensed brewery, winery and distilled spirits plant, and the company produces a wide variety of product styles including beers, hard seltzers and maltbased drinks, canned cocktails and spirits, canned wines and sakes, energy drinks and sodas, seltzers and premium water, juice drinks, coffees and teas.

DrinkPAK also offers comprehensive operational services, including procurement support, complex batching and processing, filling, packaging and full 3PL warehousing and fulfillment services. These services are utilized by some of the world’s biggest will have a total five-year economic output of more than $950 million, labor income of more than $277 million, and over $24 million in state, county, and local fiscal revenues.

These economic benefits are just one firm’s contribution to those envisioned when the Needham Ranch project was approved. Additionally, as the city’s website states, benefits include dedication of open space and infrastructure improvements.

DrinkPAK is expanding its work force in Santa Clarita, “committed to attracting best-in-class talent with extremely compelling compensation and benefits, a commitment to growth and career advancement, and an engaging 2.0 work environment.”

For more information visit www.drink-pak.com. 