Business

The shutdown ends decades of operations and marks a significant economic loss for the city.

Years after Coca-Cola announced plans to shut down its Northampton bottling plant, the facility will officially close by the end of the year, eliminating 175 jobs and dealing a blow to the city’s coffers and manufacturing sector. 

In a notice to the state on Monday, June 15, Coca-Cola said its layoffs will affect 175 workers beginning in August and lasting until the end of November. 

The Atlanta-based company said in a statement that “the company is grateful to have been part of the Northampton community for many years.”

Even though employees had been aware of these plans for some time, the company is now issuing formal notices to allow them ample time to find jobs elsewhere. 

In 2021, Coca-Cola first announced it would close this bottling facility at 45 Industrial Drive by 2023. At the time, the company had 319 employees there. 

After the news broke, the mayor at the time, David Narkewicz, told the Associated Press that the closure would be a major economic loss for the city, saying the plant was the largest manufacturer, water customer, and taxpayer. The city assessed the plant at nearly $21.5 million. 

But, “due to unforeseen circumstances,” involving a transition gone awry with another company, Coca-Cola told the Daily Hampshire Gazette that the bottling plant would remain open throughout 2025. 

The Gazette reported that Coca-Cola bought the former Mid-Atlantic Canners Association facility in 1995. The plant, which produces non-carbonated products such as Minute Maid and Powerade, underwent a 13,000-square-foot expansion completed in 2011, costing $50 million and adding 100 jobs. 

At a Northampton City Council meeting on March 19, DPW Director Donna LaScaleia shared that the Coca-Cola plant was the largest water and sewer customer in the city, accounting for 25% of the city’s use. 

Since the company announced it was closing, the usage has steadily decreased to about 14% in fiscal year 2026. 

To make up for the loss in revenue, the city had to raise the base rate for water and sewer, adding an average of $128 to each user’s yearly water bill. 

“Coca-Cola is in fact leaving, and when they leave, we have to be prepared to understand the impacts of that,” LaScaleia said. 

In the fiscal year 2027 budget message, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra said she is working with the state and federal partners to advocate for a sale of the building to another user that will “contribute in a positive way to our city.”