The Bellwether District announced its first tenant, DrinkPAK, bringing 174 jobs
Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration "competed aggressively" to get the new factory, set to open in 2027, in Pennsylvania.
West Coast canned beverage manufacturer DrinkPAK —which works with companies like Liquid Death and Celsius — announced that Philadelphia’s Bellwether District will be home to its first factory in the Northeastern United States.
The widely anticipated move secures the first tenant for the 1,300-acre Bellwether District, which occupies the former site of the South Philadelphia oil refinery and has been refashioned and remediated into a site for warehouse, manufacturing, and life sciences businesses by the HRP Group (formerly known as Hilco Redevelopment Partners).
Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed that Pennsylvania’s Commerce Department gave DrinkPAK a $2 million economic development grant and that the company will be eligible for a variety of tax breaks. Pennsylvania beat New Jersey, and other neighboring states, for the factory placement.
“My administration competed aggressively against other states to secure this major investment from DrinkPAK — the first anchor tenant for the Bellwether District that will create tens of thousands of jobs and supercharge the economy of Southeastern Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a statement.
Shapiro’s press release estimated that DrinkPAK’s factory would mean a $195 million investment from the company and that the manufacturing facility will employ 174 people.
DrinkPAK was founded in 2020, and the company produces two billion cans for alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages annually, according to their press materials.
“Our 1.4 million-square-foot Philadelphia location will continue to solidify DrinkPAK’s position as North America’s premier canned beverage manufacturer, with the ability to service our clients with any drink, any can, any format, and now, in any location,” said Nate Patena, DrinkPAK CEO, in the press release.
DrinkPAK has factories are located in Santa Clarita, California, and Fort Worth, Texas. The company’s website says it will be “coming to the Northeast” in the first quarter of 2027.
The DrinkPAK factory in Philadelphia will be 1.4 million square feet, taking up 74.8 acres of the Bellwether District. Zoning permits filed in October show the factory surrounded by hundreds of parking spaces for cars and bicycles, as well as loading areas for trucks.
DrinkPAK’s factory will join a 326,000-square-foot warehouse that HRP Group completed earlier this year. A second 727,000-square-foot warehouse was just completed as well. Both were built without a prospective tenant.
“Welcoming DrinkPAK to the Bellwether District marks a major milestone in the transformation of this iconic site into a 21st-century sustainable ecosystem for the region,” said Roberto E. Perez, CEO of the HRP Group, in the press release announcing the project.
Ultimately, on this 750-acre industrial part of HRP’s campus, HRP plans to host 10-to-12 million square feet of facilities. Further north, the 250-acre innovation campus — which is closer to University City — is designed to attract 3 million to 5 million square feet of space for life sciences and tech companies.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a quote from Gov. Josh Shapiro.