Lights flicker inside Coca-Cola’s Mapunapuna bottling plant in Honolulu, where machines that have run nonstop for more than 60 years are now grinding to a stop. By late January, the facility will shut down completely. This ends 65 years of local production and cuts Hawaii’s 100-year connection to bottling the famous drink.
The plant, which opened in 1960, will halt production before February. Company leaders have not shared the exact final day. Workers and people in the area watch as operations slow step by step. There is no big, sudden close. Instead, output drops bit by bit. This quiet fade-out is common for old factories. Key moments often only stand out later, when people look back.
Why the Plant Is Closing
Company executives point to the building’s age as the main reason. They say it has reached the end of its working life. Keeping it open would require huge, expensive upgrades. Today’s bottling plants need advanced automation, lower energy use, and big efficiencies. These changes are hard and costly in far-off places like Hawaii.
Shutting down makes more financial sense than spending a fortune to fix it up. The remote location adds extra challenges. Shipping supplies and products across oceans raises costs. So, leaders chose closure over a major overhaul.
Shifting to Outside Producers
This move fits Coca-Cola’s bigger plan. The company has closed other plants recently, such as ones in Massachusetts and California. They follow an “asset right” strategy. This means selling off their own factories. Instead, they focus on managing the brand and let others handle making the drinks.
Outsourcing cuts down on owned property and adds flexibility. But it pulls production away from local areas. Now, Coca-Cola relies on third-party makers, called co-packers. Big firms like Refresco run large plants that serve whole regions.
These setups save money on buildings and equipment. They lower risks from workers and let companies grow or shrink fast. In return, brands give up hands-on control. Local communities lose their direct tie to making the product. Trends in the industry speed this up. Higher worker pay, rising prices, and upgrade costs push drink makers toward partners instead of owning plants.
Effects on Jobs, Environment, and Hawaii
Twenty-five workers, many with 30-plus years on the job, feel the hit first. Hawaii has some of the highest living costs in the U.S. Odom Corporation, which runs the plant locally, offers them new spots in sales, service, or distribution. They have ten warehouses across five islands.
But it’s unclear if these jobs match old pay, benefits, or hours. Moves like this often mean less overtime and different setups. To help, Odom plans a new warehouse in Kapolei Business Park West. Still, these spots need fewer people and focus on machines over hands-on work.
Questions linger about resources too. Executives say the Coke recipe won’t change. But they won’t say if Hawaii drinks will still use local water after the close. Bottling off-island might end the state’s role in key supplies. Local making uses water on-site. But shipping full bottles thousands of miles burns more fuel and creates emissions.
Coca-Cola leads in global branded plastic waste. These changes shift problems rather than fix them. Odom keeps strong delivery through its warehouses. It shifts from producer to shipper in Coke’s network. No new local plant is coming. This wipes out Hawaii’s bottling for the first time in over a century. The shutdown highlights tough choices in the drink business.
Companies get leaner and save cash. But locals lose jobs, skills, supplies, and ties built over generations. Hawaii shoppers will still see Coke on shelves. It will just come from far away. This raises questions about how global business touches daily life and what local touches might vanish next.
Sources
“After 65 years, Coca-Cola is closing its only Hawaii bottling plant.” SFGate, 9 Dec 2025.
“Coca-Cola announces closure of last bottling plant of its kind.” Yahoo Finance, 15 Dec 2025.
“Coca-Cola is largest known contributor of branded plastic waste.” Axios, 24 Apr 2024.
“Financial Ambition: Asset Right Strategy.” The Coca-Cola Company, 2025.