New Coca Cola bottling plant opened in UP

Coca Cola Company opened a new, state-of-the-art bottling facility at Chatta in Mathura district Thursday, commemorating 20 years of operations in India.

The greenfield plant is Coca-Cola's 58th manufacturing unit in India, set up by Brindavan Agro Industries (P) Ltd, the beverage company's franchise bottler in Uttar Pradesh.

Guy Wollaert, senior vice-president and chief technical officer, inaugurated the plant which will provide employment to over 225 people.

"There could not have been a better way of saying Thank You to India than inaugurating a new greenfield plant. This new plant reflects our belief in India as a strategic growth market with immense potential," said Wollaert.

The plant has two bottling lines - a Sparkling PET Line and a Sparkling RGB Line. It will cater to nine districts of Western Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Madhya Pradesh.

Brindavan Agro has invested more than Rs.135 crore to commission the plant.

The opening of the Chatta plant is in keeping with the company's long term growth projections for business in India.

"Our investments in India are on track as we build scale, manufacturing capacity, distribution capability and a robust product portfolio to realize our business goals in India," said Venkatesh Kini, deputy business unit president, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia.

Two decades ago, on Oct 24, 1993, Coca-Cola was launched in Agra.

The company was forced out of India in 1977 by then Janata Party government Industries Minister George Fernandes.

It re-entered the Indian market after the Narasimha Rao government unveiled the new liberal economic regime in 1991.