Mexico-based Electrolit building a US$163M, 660,000-sq-ft beverage manufacturing facility and office building in Waco, Texas; Electrolit website says the Mexican sports drink is manufactured by pharmaceutical company Grupo Pisa

October 10, 2024 (press release) –

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday toured what he called Waco's largest-ever economic development project: the $1 billion Graphic Packaging International site in southwest Waco that already resembles a city unto itself.

Massive best describes the undertaking just off Bagby Avenue near Sheehy Parkway . Atlanta -based GPI in 2023 announced its plan to place a 640,000-square-foot, cutting-edge paper mill that would convert recycled paper to coated paperboard used to package many consumer products.

Its functions are patterned after those at a GPI plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan , that local officials visited during an extensive vetting process. With the incentives from local governments, Graphic Packaging International began turning dirt on 119 acres. A grand opening is a year away, but already the company is advertising to fill positions. It promises wages between $26 and $42 an hour for production workers who get a $2,500 sign-on bonus. Eventually, the company will employ 230 people.

And the Tribune-Herald learned Wednesday that GPI is getting a neighbor. A Mexico -based company, Electrolit, is clearing land for a $163 million , 660,000-square-foot manufacturing and office building. Information provided by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says the plant at 401 Sheehy Parkway has set June 30, 2026 , as the projected completion date.

"This project is privately funded, on private land for private use," says a notation on the Texas Department of Licensing documentation. An online site, Careers in Food, published information saying Electrolit Manufacturing USA "is a new, state-of-the-art beverage manufacturing facility currently under construction in Waco, Tx. The 640,000 square facility is situated in Texas Central Industrial Park and will be operating on a 24/7 schedule."

The site shows Electrolit looking to fill several executive positions, including enterprise infrastructure manager, production maintenance manager, quality manager and plant operations director. The Electrolit website says the Mexican sports drink is manufactured by Grupo Pisa, "the leading pharmaceutical company in Latin America , with more than 70 years in the market."

Promotional material on the website says Electrolit is "the perfect beverage to recover after exposure to intense heat or work under the sun." It says the product is "a great recovery drink after a night of partying," and adds, "The best hydration option to recover after exercise, and feel energized before training to improve your performance." Products "are manufactured with pharmaceutical quality grade ingredients in the most innovative manufacturing facility," the website continues.

No one with the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce economic development office would comment for the record about Electrolit's presence.

Meanwhile, Abbott's tour followed a speech to the Texas Crime Stoppers Conference in the Waco Convention Center , during which he touted the state's status as an economic force. CEOs find it attractive, in part, because emphasis on safety and security shape its quality of life.

Interviews with company officials were not allowed during Wednesday's tour, but company spokeswoman Ruth Davila provid an update.

Company President and CEO Michael P. Doss , who recently visited the Waco worksite to see how the project is progressing, said: "Bringing our Waco paperboard manufacturing facility to life is critical to our Vision 2030 strategy to deliver the world's most innovative and sustainable consumer packaging."

"Not only will it enable us to drive more circularity across our operations, but it will also amplify our unmatched competitive position across North America ," said Doss in a statement included in the news release.

A fact sheet provided Wednesday notes the Waco facility features "three key enhancements" that set it apart from the Kalamazoo plant. A blended fiber line will allow the Waco plant to use 250,000 tons of recyclable scrap from Graphic Packaging facilities across the United States . A horizontal drum pulper can take the equivalent of up to 15 million paper cups a day and process them into material suitable for first-line packaging.

Finally, "the operation will feature a co-generation plant that enables the plant to generate its own energy," using heat and steam byproducts from a process used in drying paperboard, said the release.

"We see a bright future in recycled and recyclable packaging, and I'm excited that this facility will play such a meaningful role," Doss concluded.

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