Iconic California Coca-Cola bottling plant closing after more than century

One of Ventura’s longest-running businesses is preparing to shut its doors for good after being tied to the local community for more than 100 years.

Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling confirmed last week that its Ventura distribution and bottling facility will permanently close on July 10, ending a relationship between the seaside California city and Coca-Cola operations that stretch back to the early 1900s.

The shutdown is expected to affect 85 workers, although the company says the majority of employees will be transferred to other Southern California facilities.

“We regularly assess our locations, products and services to ensure we can continue driving sustainable growth and innovation across our business,” a spokesperson for Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling said in a statement emailed to SFGATE. “As such, we have announced the closure of our Ventura Distribution Center and the transfer of operations to our other Southern California facilities.”

The company said July 10 will mark the plant’s final day of operations.

“Eighty-five is the correct number of employees affected by the shift in operations,” the spokesperson added. “Most (78) will be reassigned to other RCCB facilities. Additionally, affected employees have the option of applying for any open roles for which they are qualified within RCCB and our sister companies.”

The closure marks the end of a decades-long chapter in Ventura’s manufacturing history.

Coca-Cola’s roots in the city date back to 1912, when the first local bottling plant opened near Front Street, according to the Ventura County Star.

Over the years, the operation expanded and relocated several times as demand for soft drinks surged across the region. By the 1950s, Ventura had become a notable hub for soda production.

“Two of the nation’s top soft drink bottlers and dispensers, Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Nehi Bottling company, operate modern plants here,” the Ventura County Star wrote in their May 1953 edition. “At peak operations their combined 23-hour output can reach 3,500 cases of soft drinks.”

The newspaper also documented the company’s early history in Ventura, writing: “The soda pop business is by no means new to Ventura, Coca-Cola opening its first bottling plant here in 1912 at a spot just off Front street now the scene of U.S. 101 highway Meta street cut-off.”

The facility later moved to West Main Street before a larger plant opened in 1937 near Seward Avenue and Thompson Boulevard.

Ventura is not the only California community to recently lose a Coca-Cola operation.

Last year, another Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling facility in American Canyon announced plans to close, resulting in 135 layoffs before operations ceased in August.

The company also shuttered a longtime plant in Salinas after more than 70 years in business, consolidating operations in nearby San Jose and affecting another 81 workers.

“You know, we would have preferred San Jose consolidated into Salinas, but that’s not the way it works,” Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue told KSBW-TV at the time. “Having said that, we do believe it’s an attractive facility. I know at least three parties that have expressed interest in the facility, so we’re certainly encouraged by that.”

Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling said the Ventura closure is part of a broader effort to streamline operations and improve long-term efficiency.

The company said it expects the transition “to better position us for long-term growth and enhanced service for our customers and consumers.”

“As always,” the spokesperson added, “we’ve communicated this important update to our employees and stakeholders.”

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