Production at Keurig Dr Pepper’s Windsor roasting plant ended April 11, according to Katie Gilroy, senior director of corporate communications for KDP. Some employees have concluded their work at the facility, others will continue into the spring and summer to support the shutdown, and a smaller group will remain until the facility’s decommissioning later in the year.

Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), the beverage manufacturer that produces the Dr Pepper and Snapple brands and the single-serve K-cups used in Keurig coffeemakers, had announced in July 2024 that the 330,000-square-foot facility that has operated in Isle of Wight County’s Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park on the outskirts of Windsor since 2012 would close by the end of 2024.

Gilroy stated in July 2024 that the then-planned Dec. 31 closing aligned with a production ramp-up at Keurig’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, manufacturing facility, and she said the Windsor closure “enables us to rebalance our production capacity geographically and advance our effort to operate efficiently.”

Then that closure was delayed.

Gilroy said on Nov. 19 that “due to evolving supply chain needs of the business, we will be maintaining production at our Windsor facility through early 2025.” 

Kristi Sutphin, director of Isle of Wight County’s Economic Development Department, had said in mid-March that the new terminal date for operations at the Windsor facility was April 30, adding that it would take some additional time to dismantle and remove equipment.

In a Tuesday, April 29, update, Gilroy noted that the first group of employees had their last workdays at the facility on April 15 and 16, and she said they received their separation packages on those dates.

“Benefits for affected employees will continue through the end of the month,” she said. “Production at our facility ended on April 11, and we kept employees informed throughout the process.”

She stated that despite production ceasing, a group of employees is staying on to support the shutdown. 

“The bulk of these employees will exit in May or June, with a small number of employees remaining until the facility is decommissioned later this year,” she said.

Sutphin and her economic development department have been working to assist the plant’s 379 workers with finding new employment.

Gilroy highlighted ways that KDP has also been working to help the plant’s employees in this regard.

“Over the past three months, Virginia Works, Hampton Roads Workforce Council, and Suffolk Workforce (Development) Center visited the site to host workshops aimed at guiding employees through services they provide, as well as providing job-seeking assistance,” Gilroy said. “We also distributed flyers with further resources.”

She stated that the Windsor facility has not been sold yet.

“However we are actively talking to buyers,” she said.