A group of executives and officials holding a blue ribbon during a ceremony outside the Buffalo Rock building — Buffalo Rock unveiled its renovated Oxmoor Campus in Homewood today. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Today, Buffalo Rock—the nation’s largest single family-owned Pepsi and Dr Pepper bottler—officially opened its renovated Oxmoor Campus at 800 Lakeshore Parkway. Prized for its brand-new in-house blow molding capabilities, the expanded Oxmoor Campus represents the culmination of Buffalo Rock’s multi-year investment in infrastructure and modernization enhancements in its facilities across the Southeast.

Buffalo Rock celebrates 125 years in Birmingham with new Oxmoor Campus upgrades

Three executives in blazers standing among Pepsi and Dr Pepper packaging equipment in a bottling facility — (L to R) Buffalo Rock’s Kevin Conway (Executive VP & CFO), Matthew Dent (President & CEO) and Mike McDonald (Senior VP of Manufacturing & Supply Chain). (Mary Fehr)

Founded in 1901, Buffalo Rock Company is the largest family-owned Pepsi and Dr Pepper bottler in the country, employing more than 2,100 people and serving more than seven million customers throughout Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

Located at 800 Lakeshore Parkway in West Homewood, Buffalo Rock’s Oxmoor Campus was originally constructed in 1966 as a 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Over the past six decades, the campus has been expanded multiple times as the company has grown, now encompassing 320,000 square feet.

“Over the past five years, we’ve touched nearly every Buffalo Rock facility, modernizing and strengthening our infrastructure for the future. Relocating our corporate headquarters to Lakeshore last year was an important step in that strategy, creating the opportunity to reimagine the Oxmoor Campus and bring blow molding in-house. This project represents years of planning, investment and execution. While it marks the completion of a major chapter in our infrastructure journey, it also positions Buffalo Rock for greater efficiency, flexibility and growth for years to come.”
Matthew Dent, President & CEO, Buffalo Rock

A transformantional addition to Buffalo Rock’s Oxmoor Campus

Worker in a safety vest and hairnet operates the touchscreen control panel of an EvoBLOW SBO18 bottle-blowing machine on a factory floor — Buffalo Rock’s new blow molding operation. (Mary Fehr)

For the Buffalo Rock team, the most exciting part of the renovated facility is the addition of a brand-new blow molding operation, occupying nearly 22,000 square feet of the expanded Oxmoor Campus. Blow molding is the process used to manufacturing plastic bottles, in which small plastic preforms are heated and molded into the shape of the finished bottle customers purchase at the store.

“Bringing blow molding in-house is a transformational step for Buffalo Rock. We’ve essentially integrated a manufacturing operation within an existing manufacturing operation while continuing to serve customers through our busiest season. The result is a more agile, efficient and resilient production process that gives us greater control over our supply chain and positions us for long-term success.”
Mike McDonald, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Clear plastic PET preforms lined up in front of finished plastic bottles, showing stages of bottle manufacturing — Buffalo Rock’s new blow molding operation can transform clear plastic PET preforms into the plastic beverage bottles you see in stores. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

With the ability to produce roughly 800 20-ounce bottles per minute, the Buffalo Rock’s new blow molding system will:

Improve efficiency by creating a fully integrated, closed-loop manufacturing process
Grant the company creater control over the manufacturing process
Help reduce waste by limiting the number of trucks on the road, lowering Buffalo Rock’s carbon footprint

The new blow molding expansion supports 18 new positions, many of which equire specialized technical expertise to operate and maintain advanced manufacturing equipment, creating highly skilled career opportunities.

“Homewood is fortunate to have a company like Buffalo Rock as part of our community. Buffalo Rock is a respected employer, an economic driver and a generous community partner that continually invests in the people and places it serves. This expansion not only creates new opportunities and strengthens local manufacturing but also reflects the company’s longstanding commitment to contributing to the quality of life in our city. We are proud to celebrate this achievement and the positive impact Buffalo Rock continues to make.”
Mayor Jennifer Andress, City of Homewood

Two employees in safety vests walk down a facility hallway beside a wall painted with "ONE TEAM" in large blue letters — Buffalo Rock’s expanded Oxmoor Campus represents the culmination of $300 million in investments across the Southeast. (Mary Fehr)

In addition to manufacturing upgrades, Buffalo Rock also completed a comprehensive renovation of the facility’s office spaces. Enhancements include a brand-new break room, modernized offices, and a large gathering space designed to foster collaboration, engagement and team meetings.

“For more than 125 years, Buffalo Rock has been an important part of Birmingham’s business community and a driver of economic opportunity for our residents. This investment strengthens advanced manufacturing in our city, creates highly skilled jobs and demonstrates Buffalo Rock’s continued commitment to growing right here in Birmingham. We’re proud to celebrate this milestone and the positive impact it will have for years to come.”
Mayor Randall Woodfin, City of Birmingham

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