Independent Pepsi manufacturer’s $40.7M expansion to generate jobs in Cicero

CICERO, N.Y. — The $40.7 million expansion of Cicero’s Clinton’s Ditch Co-Operative Company, Inc. will create nearly two dozen jobs.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced this week the independent Pepsi-Cola manufacturer plans to embark on a $40,786,706 expansion of their current facility on Pardee Road that would expand the current footprint by approximately 100,000 square feet.

Founded in 1967 as a New York State Cooperative, Clinton’s Ditch started as an independent bottler of Pepsi-Cola. Originally, it was initiated by 18 New York State Independent Pepsi-Cola bottlers with the goal of producing Pepsi in aluminum cans, eventually expanding to bottling. With successive expansions, the plant grew from 47,000 to 274,000 square feet, becoming a major producer of carbonated soft drinks, seltzers, energy drinks, and purified water.

“Clinton’s Ditch has been a staple in our local business community for nearly 60 years. While there is plenty to celebrate with all of the new investments taking place, it is important that we continue to support our local companies such as Clinton’s Ditch,” McMahon said.

Structured as a Cooperative, Clinton’s Ditch operates under a unique model where customers are also owners. All profits, except those necessary for debt obligations, are annually returned to the owners.

While four of the owners are multi-generational family businesses, the fifth, Pepsico, maintains no direct affiliation beyond being a supplier.