How The Coca‑Cola System Refreshes Local Economies and Communities in Markets Around the World

As a total beverage company, we are driven by our purpose to refresh the world and make a difference. This means crafting drinks people love and doing it in a sustainable way. It is also about improving people’s lives and the communities we call home. 

We are a global company with local roots. We have a unique operating model that allows our system’s 700,000 employees around the world to work in and serve communities in more than 200 countries and territories. The “seed-to-sip” journey of our beverages takes place locally. Our company produces and sells concentrates, beverage bases and syrups to independently owned bottling partners, who purchase ingredients and packaging materials from local suppliers to produce, package, merchandise and deliver finished beverages to customers. These retailers and vending partners sell our products to consumers at a rate of 2.2 billion servings per day, globally. This is what we call the Coca‑Cola system. 

Simply put, we are your local neighbors. The Coca‑Cola system creates local jobs to make, distribute and sell our drinks that refresh local communities. 

“We are a global company, operating as a local business. This means we have a major local economic and employment multiplier effect in the communities we serve. When a consumer buys one of our beverages, it was likely made by local employees in a local manufacturing facility using ingredients and packaging sourced locally, and distributed by a local retailer,” said Michael Goltzman, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, Environmental Sustainability and Social Impact.

Our bottling partners—which range in size and operational structure from large, publicly traded multinationals to small family-owned businesses—represent both the backbone of our business and the “face” of Coca‑Cola in the community. They work with suppliers, wholesalers and distributors across our interconnected value chain to generate jobs and career-building opportunities across sectors—including agriculture, manufacturing, supply chain, transportation and retail—that make up the fabric of local economies.

The Coca‑Cola system’s economic contribution in the United States

Our Coca‑Cola system is made up of people like Christina Griffin, a truck driver for Arca Continental Coca‑Cola Southwest Beverages, who each week delivers 1,200 cases of locally bottled Coca‑Cola beverages to customers in West Texas in the U.S. 

The system supports more than 854,000 jobs nationwide, including more than 84,000 direct system roles and 770,000 across our value chain. This means our U.S. system collectively supports nine additional jobs for each one it directly creates. And the Coca‑Cola system invested $27.8 billion in the national economy by purchasing goods and services through U.S. suppliers. Our company and 64 independent bottlers contributed $57.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2022.

Supporting local economies in Latin America

With more than 180 bottling plants in 39 countries, the Coca‑Cola system has built a deep social, environmental and economic footprint in its more than 95 years of history in Latin America. The Coca‑Cola system supports nearly 1.7 million jobs across the region. This includes farmers like Angelina Diaz Teixeira who harvests guarana in the foothills of the Amazon for use in some of our most popular beverages in Brazil. She’s one of more than 160,000 farmers supported by the Coca‑Cola system in Latin America. The Coca‑Cola system purchased $13 billion worth of goods and services from local suppliers in different sectors, such as commerce, agriculture, transportation and manufacturing.

There are nine additional jobs created from each direct job in the Coca‑Cola system in Latin America. And the system contributed $36 billion in economic added value across multiple sectors in 2021. Of that amount, $13.5 billion includes taxes paid, collected and generated for local governments through our business and value chain in Latin America.

Building a Better Shared Future in Italy

In 2022, Coca‑Cola Italy, Coca‑Cola HBC Italy and Sibeg generated more than 1.2 billion euros in economic shared value. This includes spending more than 628 million euros with more than 1,460 local suppliers. The Coca‑Cola system is the #1 employer in the Italian beverage industry and supports 27,000 local jobs across the country. For every direct job, there are about 11 jobs created by the system in Italy.  

These jobs include people like Margaus and Arianna. In Catania, Sicily, Margaus represents the brand in her local community by helping local partners drive revenue. The Sibeg sales executive drives an electric vehicle to build relationships with customers across the region. In Marcianise, Naples, Arianna’s attention to detail and commitment to excellence ensure the quality and safety of beverages produced at the Coca‑Cola HBC plant.    

Also in Catania, Sicily, Ivan is an entrepreneur who is part of the Citrus District of Sicily, an organization working to represent Sicilian excellencies in the citrus field and the companies of the supply chain. The bond of Coca‑Cola with the country is also embodied by the local purchase of 100% Italian citrus juice for Fanta and the use of Sicilian origin certified juices for Fanta Red Orangeade without added sugars and Fanta Lemonade without added sugars. 

Making an Impact South Africa

The Coca‑Cola system positively impacts the South African economy and provides quality employment opportunities across its value chain.

Our Bizniz in a Box program empowers women entrepreneurs like Thabang Sekgoka to transform their dreams into thriving businesses. A passion for great food and community-building serves as the foundation of Chef Sekgoka’s restaurant, The Place Food Eatery, in bustling Lebowakgomo, in Limpopo, South Africa.

Creating a Socioeconomic Ripple Effect in Uttar Pradesh, India

In Uttar Pradesh—one of the largest states in India and the country’s main agricultural hub—the Coca‑Cola system supports more than 65,000 livelihood opportunities. This includes direct employees to positions with suppliers throughout the value chain. Sonu Kumar, for example, operates a solar farm that provides renewable energy to the nearby SLMG Beverages bottling facility where the state’s favorite drinks are produced. Every beverage sold in Uttar Pradesh generates a ripple effect in local communities. 

The Coca‑Cola system also supports local farmers through initiatives like Project Meetha Sona, which has empowered thousands of small-scale farmers with agricultural training and other income-boosting resources. 

These are just a few examples of economic impact across the Coca‑Cola system globally. It takes a village across our interconnected value chain—from ingredient suppliers to retailers—to bring our more than 200 beloved beverage brands to consumers around the world. The upstream and downstream “ripple” effects of the Coca‑Cola system contribute to our secret formula for economic growth. 

Beyond economic contributions, the Coca‑Cola system has a rich legacy of supporting community partners working to make a difference through employee volunteerism, monetary and product donations, and grants from The Coca‑Cola Foundation. These efforts support environmental and social priorities including education, economic empowerment, recycling, water stewardship and disaster relief.