South Philadelphia’s old refinery site is trading oil tanks for energy drinks. Construction is underway on a 1.4 million square foot DrinkPAK beverage manufacturing plant at the Bellwether District, a project set to become the company’s flagship East Coast facility and the centerpiece of HRP Group’s long-planned overhaul of the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. For city residents, it marks a massive industrial reuse of the riverfront and one of the largest single-building industrial footprints to hit the local market in years.
Company Plans and Timetable
DrinkPAK, a contract canner based in Santa Clarita, California, pegs the project at roughly a $350 million investment that will feature multiple ultra high speed filling lines and an automated repacking line. The plant is designed to run around the clock and is aimed to open in early 2027, with roughly 175 full time positions expected by 2028. “We are beyond thrilled to plant our next flag in Philadelphia,” DrinkPAK CEO Nate Patena said in the company release, according to DrinkPAK.
State Backing and Market Significance
Pennsylvania officials say they helped reel in a $195 million private investment from DrinkPAK by offering a $2 million Pennsylvania First grant, framing the deal as a regional economic win. Industry trackers have flagged the lease as one of Philadelphia’s largest industrial deals since 2020, a reminder of how rare it is for a single tenant to take down this much space in one shot. The state’s announcement is posted on the Governor’s site, and market coverage was detailed by CoStar.
Where It Sits and What’s Next
The DrinkPAK facility is rising on Lot 4 of the Bellwether District, the 1,300 acre redevelopment HRP Group is building along the Schuylkill. Contractors broke ground at the site in December 2025, and local reporting has the building shell on track to wrap up by spring 2027, even as HRP’s own materials list the build to suit as under construction with an anticipated occupancy window in late 2026. The district has already started to draw other advanced manufacturing users, including a TerraPower Isotopes project that held a ceremonial groundbreaking earlier this year, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
What It Means for Jobs and the Neighborhood
State officials say the project will create roughly 174 full time jobs, on top of a major wave of construction work during the buildout, while DrinkPAK’s own materials estimate about 175 permanent roles tied to operations once the lines are humming. The plant’s riverfront setting, access to PhilaPort, and quick connections to I 95 and key rail corridors were central selling points, according to industry sources, and the developer argues those logistics advantages will help Philadelphia compete for higher value manufacturing work.
Neighbors and local advocates, meanwhile, have raised questions about traffic, environmental monitoring, and how nearby residents will actually land the new jobs. Officials say workforce programs tied to the project are intended to connect Philadelphians directly to the roles created at the site, according to the Governor’s Office.
