Plan to preserve coffee factory's legacy after closure

Well-known features of a coffee factory that employed thousands of people at its peak will be preserved when it closes to secure its legacy, its owners have said.

Dutch coffee-making giants Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) Peet's announced last year that it would be closing its Banbury factory in 2026 after 62 years.

Ahead of the closure, the firm said iconic features of the factory - including the original Bird's emblem on its gates - would be saved.

More than £24,000 raised from the sale of equipment would also be donated to local community groups, the company said.

Plant manager Dyfrig Davies said: "We are incredibly proud of the dedication to the site and community over the last six decades."

"As someone who started their career here over 20 years ago, I've always been very aware of what this factory has meant to the local community, and what the local community has meant to this factory.

"That's why we're really proud that we've been able to create a legacy that celebrates this."

Among the features of the factory that will be preserved are its long-service honours board, which is adorned with the names of more than 600 people who worked at the plant for 30 or more years.

The board, along with the original Bird's emblems and other items, will now "find a lasting home in the community", after an agreement was reached between the company and Cherwell District Council.

Lesley McLean, the authority's leader, said: "For many years, the JDE Peet's factory has been a part of the fabric of Banbury's history.

"The council is delighted to be able to support JDE Peet's with the preservation of these historic items and believe it is a fitting way to recognise the site's long-standing contribution to our town."

Alongside Tuesday's announcement, JDE Peet's also confirmed a small amount of staff would remain on site to oversee its shutdown, which is expected to conclude by the end of 2026.

The then-General Foods Factory opened in 1964 under the Albert Birds moniker, producing food and drink - including Bird's Custard.

Most locals still refer to the site as "GF", more than 40 years after the firm was taken over by US food giant Kraft.

As one former employee at the site previously told the BBC: "GF was Banbury."

JDE purchased the site from Kraft spin-out Mondelez in 2015, with the Dutch coffee-making giant's reign proving tumultuous.

It was marred by widespread strike action in 2020 and 2021, after it put forward plans to fire and rehire much of the workforce on less favourable contract terms. Workers later agreed a deal to avoid the proposal.

In 2023, JDE ended coffee production at the site, before announcing it would close for good last year, owing to the cost of maintaining its decades-old infrastructure.