Coca-Cola
The Birmingham, Ala.-based company’s $42 million expansion will add 120,000 square feet of warehouse space if it receives a nearly $7 million, 10-year property tax abatement under Alabama’s Industrial tax Exemption Program. The abatement would allow Coca-Cola to install a new robotic case-picking system as well as new machinery and equipment. It will also create 15 new permanent jobs with an average salary of $43,000, not including benefits, and 27 construction jobs.
Rankings compiled by Brand Finance once again put Coca-Cola at the top of the list of the world’s most valuable soft drink brands. However, Red Bull and Dr Pepper are the fastest growing brands. The annual rankings measure brand value according to metrics such as marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Coke’s brand value is $33.2 billion, almost double that of second place PepsiCo at $18.4 billion. Dr Pepper posted strong brand growth of 40 percent.
Russian news agency TASS reported that a company press release saying it had produced more than 1.35 billion liters of beverages in Russian bottling facilities in the first half fiscal 2021 indicated a 27 percent increase year-on -year. Coke said 365 million liters were manufactured in Moscow, which was 40 percent more than the capital's enterprises produced for the same period last year. TASS clarified that the total increase in production in Russia in the first half of 2021 climbed from 1.07 billion liters to 1.35 billion liters. The production surge was attributed to hot summer temperatures and the absence of serious restrictions of 2020 for hotels and restaurants.
The Swiss bottler has replaced previously-used shrink wrap with Graphic Packaging’s KeelClip in partnership with Graphic Packaging International, Coca-Cola HBC’s larger multipacks are now available in a new fully enclosed paper-based carton, which replaces previously-used shrink-wrap. Graphic said transitioning to these new secondary packaging solutions will eliminate 500 metric tons annually of hard-to-recycle shrink-wrap plastic. It has installed a QuikFlex machine in Coca-Cola HBC’s plant in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, producing a variety of configurations from four- to 24-packs.
The Berlin-based bottler will spend $17.6 million to expand the beverage filling capacity of its Karlsruhe production plant, a move that will create 60 new jobs. The expansion, which should be largely completed by the end of the year, is also significantly expanding its Neureuter plant production, production-related supply areas, and logistics. The reason for the expansion of the production volume is the increasing demand for canned beverages, including soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Fanta as well as energy drinks that CCEP DE fills on behalf of Monster Energy Limited.
Nestle
The Swiss company’s upgrade of the Singapore R&D facilities marks the 40-year anniversary of the center, which has played a key role in developing innovative products and technologies for South East Asia and beyond for both Nestlé's retail and out-of-home business. The R&D center has contributed to the innovation of coffee mixes, powdered beverages such as Milo, culinary products, plant-based foods & beverages and ice-cream. The center also supports the development of plant-based meal solutions for both retail and out-of-home for the Harvest Gourmet brand.
Other Companies
The Ho Chi Minh City-based company known as Vinamilk has boosted investment in product development, international expansion, and commitment to sustainability to create innovative products enriched with local flavors to satisfy global customer tastes. The company's R&D efforts have developed customized products for Asian, African and Middle East markets, despite the challenge of limited research data in some regions. The company has developed 66 SKUs in multiple markets, including the Vinamilk Ridielac infant cereal with banana and date flavor. Vinamilk grew steadily in the first half of 2021 despite COVID-19 challenges, boasting an export revenue of $121.5 million, up 13.1 percent YoY.
An infusion of $2.2 million in seed funding led by Obvious Ventures has provided the wherewithal for the San Francisco-based “stealth health” functional beverage brand to launch its Matcha Latte blend of USDA organic ceremonial grade matcha and adaptogens, The Matcha Latte is made with zero added sugars and a creamy macadamia milk containing healthy fats and protein. Also participating in the funding round were Kindred Ventures, Human Ventures, and Quiet Capital. Taika’s range of products, which are keto-friendly, non-GMO, plant-based, gluten-free and sustainably sourced, will be available at Erewhon Market, Bristol Farms, Bi-Rite Market and Zabar’s.
The strategy of expanding beyond beer into new beverage categories seems to be working for the company whose latest project is Zoa Energy, co-founded by actor Dwayne Johnson. Molson Coors owns a minority stake in the brand and serves as its distribution partner, helping cans of Zoa hit shelves over the past four months. According to the company, IRI data has Zoa Energy the number one new energy drink in a recent four-week period and has been “tremendously successful thus far.” The beverage is sold at more than 26,000 retailers, surpassing 100,000 points of distribution.
The company has added a coloring-free chocolate flavor to the range sold in the U.K., which also includes strawberry and raspberry flavors targeted at teens. as part of the Yop range, the new offering is free from colorings and is said to be great for portion control on the go. According to the company, Yop sales have increased by 12.6 percent, boosting household penetration by 72.6 percent. With an RRP of $2.74, Yop Chocolate is sold in Asda stores in four-packs.
Shares of the largest franchisee of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Costa Coffee in India debuted on the BSE stock exchange $1.90, a nearly 57 percent premium against its issue price of $1.21. The company's market valuation was at $2.1 billion on the BSE. The company said it will use the proceeds from the IPO to retire debt and for general corporate purposes. On Sunday, Devyani, an associate company of RJ Corp., the largest bottling partner of PepsiCo, announced the extension of its partnership with Costa Coffee.