Production has officially started at Suntory Oceania’s new +$400m beverage manufacturing facility in Queensland, which will be the production and distribution hub for over 40 brands coming from the new Suntory Oceania partnership.
The 17-hectare site has the capacity to hold over 50,000 pallets of product as well as a high-speed bottling line and two canning lines that can fill 180,000 cans per hour.
As part of the new $3 billion partnership, the new facility will produce Suntory’s RTD portfolio of brands including -196, Canadian Club and Dry, and Jim Beam and Cola, as well as a variety of soft drinks including V Energy which was the first product off the line.
Darren Fullerton, CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania, said the start of production at the world-class facility represents a pivotal moment for Suntory Oceania.
“We are excited about the growth this will unlock for Suntory in the region, and the opportunities we will be able to offer our people, our customers, and our consumers.
“Full ownership of our supply chain will enable more capacity, more control and most importantly, more opportunity to innovate. With this new site we are well positioned to disrupt and ignite the category with our full multi-beverage offering.”
The facility also possesses state-of-the-art sustainability credentials including 14kms of solar panels, sustainable heating and cooling technology and onsite waste management and water recycling facilities setting a benchmark for sustainable manufacturing.
“Our Queensland operation will be entirely carbon neutral,” Fullerton said. “This commitment to sustainability and Growing for Good goes to the heart of Suntory’s DNA and I’m so proud that we can deliver on this commitment here in Oceania.”
Mark Hill, Managing Director at Suntory Global Spirits Oceania, says the team is looking forward to the next phase of commissioning, enabling the manufacturing and distribution of Suntory’s alcohol portfolio.
“Our Queensland facility complements our global production footprint, which includes distilleries and bottling sites in North America, Europe, and Japan, and will expand our capability and capacity to deliver for our customers like never before,” Hill said.
“This facility is central to Suntory Oceania, and we are thrilled to be harnessing the region’s great local talent, strong infrastructure and connectivity to power this next phase of growth.”
Suntory’s Queensland facility is set to officially open in mid-2025 in line with the commencement of alcohol production and the Suntory Oceania partnership.
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