A $26 million investment in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa’s first dairy factory is in full flow and pumping out a total of 22 000 bottles per hour in Ghana as the bottler accelerates its evolution towards becoming a total beverages company.
The plant has begun production of CCBA’s new Hollandia dairy line, which includes tasty and nutritious evaporated full cream milk, enriched with Vitamin B12 and calcium, as well as plain sweetened or strawberry yoghurt.
The evaporated milk range is available in 97g, 215g and 323g pack sizes.
The expanded offering continues the company’s investment in a growing portfolio beyond sparkling soft drinks, including tea, coffee, juices, value-added dairy and purified water — being made available to more people in more places.
Construction began in 2018 and the facility now employs 25 permanent and 40 casual staff.
The move into value-added dairy has also taken off in Uganda, where CCBA offers Climb Up flavoured milk. Climb Up is available in a variety of immediate consumption sizes, with 125ml and 250ml proving the most popular, especially with the youth and contributing 75% of the volume.
Strawberry and Vanilla dominate the flavoured milk market, commanding an 80% share of volume.
The company recently unveiled a new Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango drink, formulated to support the ‘Buy Uganda, Build Uganda’ agenda.
The fruit and dairy blend was the first product off a brand new US$15 million production line installed this year to produce drinks from raw materials made in Uganda.
CCBA CEO Jacques Vermeulen said that by investing in the manufacturing and distribution of different drinks, CCBA was increasing local sourcing of raw materials and providing its employees with new skills.
“This is part of our larger strategy to grow sustainably, by creating shared opportunities on our journey to becoming a total beverage company,” Vermeulen said.
“People everywhere want new beverages and experiences throughout their day and, as a franchised bottler of The Coca-Cola Company, CCBA is innovating to give people more of what they want while actively encouraging informed choices and balanced lifestyles.
“In some cases, that means adding vitamins and minerals or rethinking our recipes to reduce sugar while keeping the great tastes people love. In others, it means finding new, exciting flavours.”
“The introduction of Hollandia and Climb Up value-added dairy products in Ghana and Uganda is part of that journey and we are very excited about the potential of this category in Africa,” Vermeulen said.
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