JDE Peet’s to shut coffee packing plant in UK, ending six decades of operations
Closure of JDE’s Banbury site marks the end of a 60-year legacy as production shifts to European locations.
NETHERLANDS – Dutch coffee giant Jacob Douwe Egberts (JDE), part of JDE Peet’s, has announced its intention to close its Banbury facility in 2025, marking the end of nearly 60 years of operations.
The closure will impact approximately 160 employees, with formal consultations set to begin soon.
The Banbury plant, originally opened in 1964 as GF Factory producing food and drink items such as Bird’s Custard, became a coffee manufacturing hub following acquisitions by Kraft and later by JDE in 2015.
Coffee production at the facility ceased in 2023, leaving only packaging operations active.
In a statement, a JDE Peet’s spokesperson confirmed: “We have today announced a proposal to close our entire site in Banbury. This was not an easy decision to take, and our priority now is with our associates and supporting them throughout the consultation process.”
The company said a comprehensive review had been conducted to assess the viability of operating Banbury solely as a packing facility.
Operations previously handled at the Banbury site will be shifted to other JDE Peet’s locations across Europe. Packing duties will be distributed among facilities in Joure, Hemelingen, Valasske, and Berlin, with a small share going to co-manufacturers.
JDE Peet’s acknowledged the historical significance of the Banbury facility. “We are proud to have manufactured and packed coffee in Banbury for almost 60 years and would like to thank the local community for their valued support,” the company stated, adding gratitude to current and former employees for their contributions.
The plant has also witnessed labour tensions in recent years. In 2020 and 2021, JDE faced widespread strikes at the site following a controversial plan to implement new employment contracts through a fire-and-rehire process. The dispute was later resolved after negotiations with the workforce.
JDE Peet’s, the global coffee and tea leader formed through the 2019 merger of JDE and Peet’s, recently announced that its ongoing share buyback programme has exceeded €70 million.
As of mid-June 2025, the company had repurchased over 3.7 million ordinary shares. The initiative, announced in February and launched in March, is intended to reduce company capital through cancellation of the repurchased shares.
The Banbury plant officially ceased coffee production in April 2024 following an announcement made in November 2023.
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