New Coca-Cola Distribution Center Opens In Coachella

If you’ve grabbed a Coke product from anywhere in the valley recently, odds are it came from the company’s new Coachella distribution center.

The company moved from Cathedral City to the new building, which is made from recycled materials.

It also boasts a number of other environmental improvements, such as smart lights that dim or turn on or off, depending on motion and natural sunlight, and everything is powered by solar panels that usually produce more energy than they use, company officials said.

“We look at it holistically and how we can better improve the environment and our local communities because it’s important to the communities we serve,” said Terry Fitch, vice president of the Southern California branch of Coca-Cola Bottling.

Company officials said they hired more people to work in the new building. Now the center now has more than 100 employees.

And the 60,000 square-foot facility has room to grow and add workers in the future.

“They’ll be shopping, they’ll be eating and they’ll be using our gas pumps in the city. And again, a major boost to our local economy,” said Coachella Mayor Eduardo Garcia.

The distribution center serves the Coachella Valley. The company clears its warehouse every three days before stocking up again.

And if those bottles and cans get recycled, it’s possible they’ll end up as a part of another energy-efficient building the future.

More green buildings to house those small red cans.