PepsiCo has announced it is investing $64 million to expand its beverage concentrates plant in Uruguay’s Colonia Free Trade Zone.
The company plans to expand its industrial area by more than 6,000 square metres. The investment includes upgraded production rooms, expansion of water waste treatment and an extension of the plant’s footprint, and will help enable PepsiCo to expand its zero-sugar offerings.
The plant is one of two facilities that PepsiCo has in Uruguay, where the company directly employs around 350 people. The beverage concentrates facility plays a significant part in the formulation of PepsiCo’s brands, such as Pepsi, 7Up, Mirinda and Gatorade.
PepsiCo’s second Uruguay plant, in Montevideo, has been a key site for the company for more than 60 years.
The beverage concentrates facility expansion will be the second investment that PepsiCo has made recently as it has also announced that it is investing more than PLN 1 billion ($262.6 million approx.) to open a new plant in Poland. The facility will be PepsiCo’s fifth in the country, creating 450 new jobs and exporting to over 20 European countries. The full construction is due to be completed by 2025, with plans to become fully carbon neutral by 2035.
