The Coca‑Cola System in Kenya Announces Major Investment

ATLANTA, May 21, 2024 – The Coca‑Cola system, consisting of The Coca‑Cola Company and its authorized bottler Coca‑Cola Beverages Africa, has announced its intention to grow its investment in Kenya by up to $175 million over the next five years, should the business achieve its anticipated growth targets in the country.

Hosting the Kenyan President H.E. Dr William Ruto at The Coca‑Cola Company headquarters in Atlanta, Sunil Gupta, CEO of Coca‑Cola Beverages Africa said: “The Coca‑Cola system has been an integral part of Kenya’s landscape for more than 75 years. Today, we are excited to announce our intention to strengthen this legacy through a substantial investment.

“This investment is aimed at accelerating the Coca‑Cola system’s capacity and capability expansion over the next five years. Our decision to invest underscores our belief in the long-term potential of Kenya’s economy.

Luisa Ortega, President of The Coca‑Cola Company’s Africa Operating Unit, emphasized the importance of collaboration with the government to create a stable policy environment. "The Coca‑Cola system has been part of communities in Kenya for more than seven decades. We are excited to continue growing our business and supporting communities across Kenya for many years to come." said Ortega. 

The Coca‑Cola system has a rich legacy of refreshing Africa and making a difference in the East Africa region, where it is a major employer, directly employing 10,000 people.

The Coca‑Cola system also works with over 500,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across the region, giving the company a direct connection to the experiences shared by many businesses in Kenya and across the East African region.

“Our value chain supports livelihoods for over a million people in distribution, sales and other roles,” said Gupta. We source close to 8,000 metric tons of mango puree from East African farmers. We believe in the region's potential and its ability to achieve significant growth through collaboration between public and private sectors. Our business in Kenya is centered on a local approach - we hire locally, produce locally, distribute locally and source locally.”

“We are optimistic and fully committed to Kenya’s future. We foresee great social and economic advancement, and this is why we continue to invest in our Kenyan business as well as community programs that help strengthen Kenya’s prosperity,” Ortega concluded. 

About The Coca‑Cola Company

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca‑Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coffee, and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Coca‑Cola Beverages Africa 

Coca‑Cola Beverages Africa is the 8th largest Coca‑Cola bottling partner in the world by revenue, and the largest on the continent. It accounts for over 40% of all Coca‑Cola products sold in Africa by volume. With over 18,000 employees in Africa, CCBA services more than 720,000 customers with a host of international and local brands. The group was formed in July 2016 after the successful combination of the southern and east Africa bottling operations of the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages businesses of The Coca‑Cola Company, SABMiller plc and Gutsche Family Investments. CCBA shareholders are currently: The Coca‑Cola Company 66.5% and Gutsche Family Investments 33.5%. CCBA operates in 15 countries, including its six key markets of South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, and Namibia, as well as Tanzania, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, the islands of Comoros and Mayotte, Eswatini, Lesotho and Malawi.

Learn more at https://www.ccbagroup.com

Follow us on LinkedIn