Coca‑Cola HBC Bulgaria invests 40 million BGN into expansion of its production center in Kostinbrod

The plant will already produce also drinks for export to Romania, Serbia and Greece

Coca‑Cola HBC Bulgaria invested nearly 40 Million BGN into its production center in Kostinbrod which places the plant amongst the most state-of-the-art centers of Coca‑Cola Group Hellenic Bottling Company in the region. This investment provides the Company with possibility to produce drinks also for export – to Romania, Serbia and Greece and other countries within the region. The start of the new production capacities was given today at an event by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov and Juerg Burkhalter – General Manager of Coca‑Cola HBC Bulgaria. The Ambassador of Greece, His Excellency Grigorios Vasilokonstandakis, the US Embassy Charge d’Affair His Excellency Justin P. Friedman, the Minister of Economy Emil Karanikolov, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Krassimir Jivkov and the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works - Nikolay Nankov were also amongst the guests of the event.

The renewal of the plants’ capacities aims also to achieve a more efficient use of the resources. Except reducing with 20% the consumed electricity compared to the existing line, the new line will reduce the water used per 1 liter produced beverage with 3.3%.

The new line will produce with average of 9000 bottles of 0.5 l more per hour. Further to that a fully robotized system for replacement of the matrices for the various packages has also been introduced to the processing line. In addition to the already well-known packages of 0.5 l, 1.25 l and 1.5 l, with the new equipment the Company introduced for a first time in Bulgaria a new 1 l PET package for Coca‑Cola, Fanta and Sprite. The announced investment also includes an expansion of the warehouse of the plant, in order to meet the needs of the new regional production. Also, in a process of construction is a new water supply pipeline, which will not only contribute to meeting the needs of the production, but will also be used for supplying with water the inhabitants of the village of Voluyak and the town of Kostinbrod. The expansion and the reconstruction of the associated infrastructure of the plant are under development, as well.  

As early as with the opening of the plant in Kostinbrod Coca‑Cola HBC Bulgaria was awarded the certificate ”Investor of the Year” for investment in green, and since then the Company has continuously contributed to the development both of the plant and of the Bulgarian economy, as a whole.  The production of Coca‑Cola in Bulgaria dates back to 1965 and annually the Company produces over 300 million liters of drinks and invests over 105 million BGN into local vendors. Only for 2018 the Company paid 84 million BGN in taxes and fees to the state budget. Nowadays, The Coca‑Cola system in Bulgaria consists of 5 legal entities, and Coca‑Cola HBC has 6 distribution centers and operates two plants in Bankia and Kostinbrod, which produce beverages for the local market and for export.