Welch’s celebrates corporate headquarters move to Waltham

Welch’s employees and Waltham city officials gathered outside of the company’s new home on Tuesday morning for a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating a move two years in the making. After more than 40 years in Concord, Welch’s corporate headquarters is now a large office space overlooking I-95, located at Reservoir Place on Trapelo Road in Waltham.

Photo credits: David Korzeniowski

“This is not just a change of address for us,” said Welch’s CEO Trevor Bynum. “This was a deliberate choice on our journey to growth and part of our ambition.”

Welch’s, formally Welch Foods Inc., is a 156-year-old company owned by 600-plus family farmers who produce nationally distributed fruit juice drinks, slushies and gummy snacks, among other items.

The relocation marks a score for both the City of Waltham and Boston Properties (BXP), which has owned and operated Reservoir Place since 1998.

Patrick Mulvihill, senior vice president of leasing at BXP, kicked off the ceremony by welcoming the Welch’s team and reflecting on their first conversations from 2023.

“Two years later we’re thrilled to be able to welcome [Welch’s] to the building,” Mulvihill said. “We very much look forward to seeing the innovation and evolution that is to come with the new office.”

Approximately 200 Welch’s employees will occupy the 60,000-square-foot office at Reservoir Place. The new headquarters includes conference rooms, displays of popular products, a merchandise room, and a research and development laboratory.

“We all get excited when national brands come here,” said Bill Hanley, Waltham’s Ward 3 city councilor. “The city’s infrastructure is built for [Welch’s] employee base.”

Hanley said the office location – with easy access to I-95, I-90 and Route 2 – was the main factor in Welch’s move from Concord to Waltham.

Bynum said, “Waltham is a connected, vibrant business community, which will give us access to very talented people to join the already great people in our company.”

Perhaps the most innovative feature of the space is the research and development laboratory, which Welch’s did not have at its previous headquarters. In the new lab researchers can experiment with new flavors and combinations en route to creating Welch’s newest products.

“This is where we accelerate collaboration and take ideas from our minds and bring them to life,” said Christine Kwiat, Welch’s chief research and development officer. 

Waltham Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy alluded to the blend of tradition and innovation in her remarks before the ribbon-cutting. Holding a bottle of Welch’s Concord Grape Juice, McCarthy said, “This is the Welch’s that I grew up with. As a kid in the ’50s and ’60s, we loved it.”

Then she motioned to tables filled with newer products, such as zero-sugar beverages and sparkling waters, saying, “Over here we have the Welch’s of the modern era.”