Global taste and nutrition company Kerry cut the ribbon on a 48,600-square-foot coffee roasting and extraction facility near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in September, significantly expanding the company’s North American coffee production capabilities.

The facility has the capacity to roast 22 million pounds of coffee annually, with hot and cold extraction, concentration, blending and packaging systems for producing custom coffee ingredients used in applications ranging from ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages and cold brew to frozen desserts and savory sauces.

“Beyond capacity, our ambition is to redefine what an ingredient partner can contribute to coffee,” Kerry North America Vice President of Beverage Taste William Kelly told Daily Coffee News. “We can bring together the craft and sensory understanding of coffee with Kerry’s global capabilities in taste, applications, nutrition and function.”

Kelly said those combinations may unlock opportunities in product categories such as protein-enhanced coffee, energy and hydration drinks and reduced-sugar drinks. 

The facility currently employs more than 50 people, including workers retained from the former operator, botanical ingredients maker Martin Bauer Group. After the plant ceased operations, Kerry acquired certain Martin Bauer assets in a €14.8-million (approximately $16.6 million) deal in April 2025. 

Kerry retained or repurposed some of the site’s existing equipment while adding new roasting and packaging equipment, processing technology and manufacturing protocols for the dedicated coffee operation.

“Bethlehem gives us the physical platform, but our real advantage is the team behind it,” Kelly said. “We have passionate coffee experts working alongside flavorists, sensory scientists, beverage developers, process engineers and nutrition specialists.”

Founded in Ireland in 1972, publicly traded Kerry remains headquartered in Tralee under Group CEO Edmond Scanlon. The company employs approximately 20,000 people across more than 50 countries, with a global network of 119 manufacturing locations and more than 60 technology and innovation centers.

Kerry’s portfolio spans taste and nutrition, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and health applications.

Kerry acquired Seattle-based flavor syrup maker DaVinci Gourmet in 2003, then added shelf-stable coffee extract technology to its North American beverage business through the 2008 acquisition of Portland, Maine-based X Café.

At the Pennsylvania facility, Kerry will focus on developing coffee ingredients for B2B customers across hot and cold coffee, RTD, foodservice and functional beverage applications. 

“Coffee remains one of the most exciting and dynamic categories in food and beverage,” Kelly said. “What was once a morning ritual has evolved into an all-day platform for innovation.”

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