Pepsi adding 136 jobs to DeKalb bottling plant as part of $260M expansion

Photo: Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images for Pepsi

Photo: Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images for Pepsi

Atlanta may be Coke country, but that isn’t stopping Pepsi from making a large expansion in one of its suburbs.

PepsiCo Beverage North America (PBNA) announced a $260 million expansion to its bottling plant in Tucker, according to a Thursday news release. The expansion will include at least 136 new full-time jobs, bringing the company’s total workforce in DeKalb County to more than 600 employees.

The 1644 Rock Mountain Boulevard facility will expand by more than 260,000 square feet, making it one of Pepsi’s largest manufacturing plants. By 2025, Pepsi estimates the Tucker plant’s production will quintuple due to the expansion.

“We are excited that another division of PepsiCo has chosen Georgia to grow their operations,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in the release, referencing the company’s $200 million investment in a Perry-based, Frito-Lay plant two years ago.

The Decide DeKalb Development Authority finalized the deal Thursday morning during a public meeting. The authority’s members signed a resolution to approve bonds to help finance the expansion.

“We are delighted that PBNA has decided to deepen the roots they have planted here in DeKalb County,” DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond said in the release. “We are proud to be a part of this exciting public/private partnership that will spur job creation and economic growth.”

The Pepsi bottling plant in Tucker.

Credit: City of Tucker

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Credit: City of Tucker

Tucker Mayor Frank Auman also lauded the deal, saying its important when companies “double down” on their existing businesses in the city.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Quick Start and Georgia Power were also credited with helping make the deal possible.