SLMG Beverages inaugurates South Asia's largest Coca-Cola plant in Buxar

SLMG Beverages, Coca-Cola's leading bottling partner in India, has inaugurated its largest plant in Buxar, Bihar, where it is investing Rs 1,200 crore in the first phase.

This marks a significant milestone in the industrial development of Bihar and strengthens beverage production capacity across eastern India, SLMG Beverages said in a statement on Saturday.

The Nawanagar, Buxar facility is SLMG Beverages' first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Bihar and will serve as a primary supply hub for the state and neighbouring regions, including eastern Uttar Pradesh.

"By bringing manufacturing closer to consumption markets, the plant is expected to reduce logistics costs, improve supply responsiveness, and ensure fresher product availability during peak demand seasons," the company said.

 

Spread across about 65 acres, the Boxer facility has seven high-speed production lines with a total installed capacity of over 5,000 bottles per minute. It will support carbonated soft drinks, juices, packaged drinking water, and aseptic beverages, the statement noted.

The project is expected to generate over 1,000 direct jobs and thousands of indirect employment opportunities across logistics, distribution, and ancillary sectors, it added.

SLMG Beverages, part of Lucknow-based Ladhani Group, is the largest bottler in India and among the top 15 globally for Coca-Cola.

In 2024, it acquired rights for the Bihar market from Coca-Cola's bottling arm HCCBL, as the Atlanta-headquartered firm is divesting its bottling assets globally as per its asset-light strategy.