Beverage products supplier Westrock Coffee Co. is planning to invest in the expansion of its production and packaging capabilities across its global footprint in a bid to meet rising demand for its products.

The company recently announced that a 524,000-sq-ft facility was acquired in Conway, AR to develop, manufacture, and distribute coffee, tea and ready-to-drink (RTD) products. Once operational, the facility will feature advanced equipment, including robotics, that can produce an array of beverages from canned cold brew coffees to juice-based drinks. Westrock’s Conway location will also include new labs for quality assurance and product development.

Westrock also intends to launch new operations in Malaysia to serve customers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions and initiate an expansion project at its Concord, NC extracts plant.

“We are expanding our finished product offerings, adding end beverage packaging solutions, and expanding our geographic reach to meet our growing customer demand,” said Scott Ford, the firm’s chief executive officer and co-founder, in a company release. “Our growth benefits everyone at Westrock Coffee – from our global customers and farmer partners to our current and future employees and the communities where they live.”

About 50 new jobs will be created when the first phase of construction on the Conway plant is completed in early 2023. Over time, the facility’s headcount will grow to 250.

“These facility expansion announcements provide further evidence that we are well on our way to accomplishing our mission of building and efficiently operating the preeminent integrated coffee, tea, and extract supply chain in the world in order to enhance the lives of our farmer partners and fuel the success of the customers that we serve,” Ford said.