PepsiCo plans to open a distribution center north of Santa Rosa for regional distribution of its snacks.

The company inked a build-to-suit lease in December 2024 for a 21,417-square-foot CBC Steel Buildings warehouse to be built near Charles M. Schulz—Sonoma County Airport, according to Sonoma County permit records.

The facility is planned for 3.51 acres at 565 Aviation Blvd., on the northwest corner of the intersection with Brickway Boulevard. The site is along the Aviation connection toward Skylane Boulevard and next to an existing warehouse serving Korbel and Jackson Family Wines.

Permit Sonoma issued a foundation permit July 22 and a building permit Aug. 27. Airport Business Center owns the property and is developing the project.

Plans by Del Starrett Architect call for a 15,930-square-foot warehouse with 13 truck loading docks and an adjoining 5,492-square-foot office. The permit application describes a Frito-Lay product transfer warehouse that would receive finished chips, snacks and multipacks from manufacturing plants, break down pallets into route-specific quantities and stage products for sales representatives making daily deliveries to retailers.

Drivers are expected to begin routes between 3 and 6 a.m. and finish around noon. The facility is expected to employ 38.

PepsiCo did not respond to requests for comment on the project.

The operation fits PepsiCo’s direct-store-delivery model, one of several ways products move to customer stores and consumers. PepsiCo said in its annual report that DSD allows products to be merchandised for visibility and frequent restocking.

New York-based PepsiCo reported net revenue of $93.9 billion in 2025 and employed about 306,000 people worldwide. Its brands include Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream. In North America, “convenient foods” generated 49% of net revenue in 2025. Companywide, foods accounted for 58%.

The Aviation Boulevard extension previously drew a much larger Amazon proposal. The retail giant in 2022 walked away from completing a build-to-suit lease for a 181,000-square-foot facility at the site around the time the company dropped plans for a 250,000-square-foot warehouse south of Sonoma, the Journal reported.

The Santa Rosa project comes as PepsiCo trims some other distribution and production operations amid pressure on U.S. food sales,

The company closed its Rancho Cucamonga Frito-Lay distribution facility in June, affecting 248 jobs, after manufacturing there ended in 2025, and PepsiCo also closed or handed over to third parties facilities in New York, Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina in the past two years, Food Dive and The Street reported.

Then in July, the company revealed it would start combining food and beverage distribution facilities, fleets and deliveries via “mixing centers” and in June said it would increase use of autonomous trucks, according to The Street.

PepsiCo locally has beverage bottling and distribution facilities in Santa Rosa and Benicia.

Shawn Johnson of Keegan & Coppin Co. Inc. represented Airport Business Center in the 565 Aviation lease.

Jeff Quackenbush joined North Bay Business Journal in May 1999. Reach him at jeff@nbbj.news or 707-521-4256.