Coca-Cola System Invests €22 Million in New Romanian Bottling Line
The Coca-Cola Company and its system bottling partner Coca-Cola HBC have inaugurated a new €22 million bottling line in Ploiesti, Romania that expands the availability of Coca-Cola’s popular Cappy Pulpy Orange juice drink across Eastern and Central Europe.
Cappy Pulpy is a juice drink with a high quantity of fruit juice and fruit pulp chunks that requires a state-of-the-art production line to transport the liquid and fruit pulp parts of the drink separately. The juice and pulp meet in the end where they are mixed at a rate of 36,000 bottles per hour. This technology, as well as the special recipe, gives Cappy Pulpy Orange an intensely refreshing taste by preserving the qualities of the fruit pulp.
“This new Cappy Pulpy bottling line is yet another example of the Coca-Cola system’s commitment to exciting innovation that meets consumers’ needs,” Muhtar Kent says Muhtar Kent (pictured centre), chairman and chief executive of The Coca-Cola Company. “Continuous innovation has been at the heart of our system’s journey from the very beginning when Coca-Cola was created as a delicious and refreshing beverage in 1886. Since that time, we have continued to invest to stay in step with changing and diverse local tastes around the world.”
He continues: “There have been growth challenges here in recent years, as we have seen in many nations. But at Coca-Cola, we believe in investing in difficult times, building for the long-term and contributing positively to growth, economic vibrancy and prosperity.”
The Coca-Cola system first invested inRomaniain 1991 and today employs more 1,800 people across the country with approximately nine indirect jobs created for every Coca-Cola job. Coca-Cola HBC Romania bottles Coca-Cola products in three Romanian plants and distributes them to more than 64,000 customers through a network of 20 warehouses and distribution centers.
Since its launch, Cappy Pulpy has enjoyed success and appreciation from consumers and customers, confirming the Romanians’ interest in innovative products. Cappy Pulpy has been strongly supported by an integrated marketing campaign, which includes TV commercials, street ads, online activations and in-store promotions. It is available throughout Romania and six countries across Central and Eastern Europe in two flavors – orange and grapefruit.
Coca-Cola HBC is the second-largest bottler of products of The Coca-Cola Company in terms of volume with sales of more than 2 billion unit cases. It has a broad geographic footprint with operations in 28 countries serving a population of approximately 581 million people.