Cooroy soft drink maker resists offers to move

A Sunshine Coast soft drink manufacturer hopes to have council approval to build a new factory at Cooroy within six weeks.

The director of Wimmers Softdrinks, Peter Lavin, hopes construction is completed at the old timber mill site by next February.

Mr Lavin says the new factory for the 100-year-old company will cost about $5 million and employ an extra 20 staff over three years.

"Obviously most people know that the manufacturing base in Australia and Queensland is diminishing and these sort of industries ... we've lost a heap of industries in the Cooroy and hinterland area, so ... we had the opportunity to take it to Brisbane or Ipswich but we chose to keep this icon in Cooroy," he said.

"We did have the opportunity to move.

"I've got to say it was a harder game to stay here.

"There were incentives put out to move but we choose the harder path and I've got to say we had overwhelming support from the Sunshine Coast council to stay in Cooroy."

Source: ABC News, 10 May 2013