Westrock Coffee Opens Industry’s Largest Roasting and Ready-to-Drink Beverage Manufacturing Plant in Conway, Arkansas Ahead of Schedule

State-of-the-art manufacturing center represents the pinnacle of innovative beverage production

CONWAY, Ark.— Westrock Coffee Company (Nasdaq: WEST) (“Westrock Coffee” or the “Company”), an industry leader in innovative beverage solutions, today launched the largest roasted and ready-to-drink beverage manufacturing facility in North America. Located in Conway, Arkansas, the 570,000 square foot facility represents a $315 million investment in manufacturing capacity and includes a full beverage development laboratory. This facility squarely positions Westrock Coffee at the forefront of innovation and production of coffee and ready-to-drink beverages.

Scott Ford, co-founder and CEO of Westrock Coffee, raises a ready-to-drink can produced by Westrock Coffee to toast the grand opening of the company’s ready-to-drink facility in Conway , Arkansas, June 13, 2024. From left to right, he is pictured with Will Ford, president of group operations; Joe T. Ford, co-founder and president; and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

“The opening of the Conway facility marks a pivotal milestone for Westrock Coffee,” said Scott Ford, CEO and co-founder of Westrock Coffee. “In line with our commitment as a global leader in beverage innovation, today we are launching the largest integrated beverage facility of its kind. This uniquely positions us as a leading force in beverage production, across channels and beverage formats. Additionally, this facility expands our commitment to sustainability and responsible sourcing for our customers, agricultural partners and the communities we serve.

Westrock Coffee’s Conway plant leverages the latest production capabilities, robotics and end-to-end automation for seamless manufacturing, from receiving green coffee to roasting and grinding, extraction and up to bottling and packaging. This comprehensive approach, combined with a unique, fully integrated, future-ready design, allows Westrock Coffee to scale quickly to meet the growing industry demands while maintaining the highest quality standards.

Additionally, a new 530,000 square foot warehousing and distribution center, located just two miles away, ensures efficient product distribution, reduces transportation times and maintains a smooth, seamless flow of materials and finished products.

“The Ford family’s commitment to Arkansas is legendary, and today’s opening is just the latest in a long line of investments and jobs they have created for our state said Governor Sanders. “Westrock Coffee is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing businesses in Arkansas – a testament to the business acumen and hard work of the people behind it. »

Westrock Coffee offers a full range of services, from sourcing coffee beans to distributing the final product, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to quality and providing customers with a comprehensive set of solutions. An on-site research and development laboratory models operations at scale, ensuring a seamless transition from concept to commercial production. By providing these extensive services and more, Westrock Coffee positions itself as a true beverage partner for its customers, offering unrivaled expertise and innovation across the beverage value chain.

About Westrock Coffee Company

Westrock Coffee is a leading integrated coffee, tea, flavor, extract and ingredient solution provider in the United States, providing coffee sourcing, supply chain management and sourcing, product development, roasting, packaging and distribution to the retail, foodservice and catering, convenience and travel centers, non-retail accounts, FMCG and hospitality sectors worldwide entire. With offices in 10 countries, the company sources its coffee and tea from 35 countries of origin.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended from time to time, including, but not limited to, our plans, expectations, objectives, projections and statements regarding our ability to adapt our manufacturing capabilities to meet customer demand and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions and the current expectations of Westrock Coffee management as of the date hereof and are not predictions of actual performance. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and could differ materially from what is expressed, implied or intended in such statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to , the factors discussed in Westrock Coffee’s annual report. on Form 10-K, under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” and other documents that Westrock Coffee has filed or will file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Westrock Coffee undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.