Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) is evolving to become a total beverage company in response to changing consumer tastes and buying habits. In this context, its portfolio of beverages is expanding significantly with the introduction of new products and the introduction of different categories of beverages.

Part of this new way of doing business, CCBA in Kenya recently opened a state of the art Hotfill Juice Line at its Nairobi Bottling Plant in Embakasi to facilitate the expansion of its product portfolio to the same standards of excellence adhered to in the manufacture of its current portfolio.

“We will continue with our innovation journey as it’s a very important part of our growth strategy – this year we have already launched 50 new products and we will most likely launch around 40 next year; we also want to enter new categories such as hot coffee. Furthermore, we understand that consumers are very price-sensitive and we want to ensure that we provide top-quality products at prices they can afford,” says Daryl Wilson, Managing Director of CCBA subsidiary, Nairobi Bottling.

Aside from CCBA in Kenya’s consistent investments in the last decade in production facilities to produce world-class beverages, it has also invested significantly in local sourcing of materials used in the production process.

“We are committed to the Buy Kenya Build Kenya initiative and we source fruit, raw materials and packaging locally as well as continue to make investments to support this commitment,” says Wilson.

As an example, the new Hotfill line investment impacts over 5 000 farmers during harvest season by providing them a ready market for their crops, and over 100 employees who work in the mango processing plant.

At the juice plant, 30 young men and women have been hired, trained and certified to operate and maintain the installed equipment and apply world-class manufacturing practices. Overall, the company has provided employment and training opportunities for over 350, 000 women and 2,000 youth in Kenya since 2011.

CCBA in Kenya continues to work closely with partners to consistently generate new and shared opportunities for Kenyans as it rapidly increases its range of world-class beverages for local consumers.