It is expected that construction work on the plant at Bahir Dar will begin early next year and is to be completed in a year. The site for the new plant was selected after a survey conducted by a team from South Africa which studied the availability of drainage. Links to the road network in the area and access to water supplies according to sources.
East African Bottling has signed an agreement for the construction of the plant with Elmo-Olindo a construction company previously engaged for rehabilitation and expansion efforts undertaken by the Coca Cola producer.
The construction of the new plant is part of the 500 million dollar investment launched by the company in April. The investment project launched by Coca Cola includes the construction of three plants all to be completed by 2020. The expansion initiative taken by Coca Cola in Ethiopia is to enhance what is potentially one of the most important markets for the company’s products in Africa.
Coca Cola currently produces 605 million bottles of soft drinks every year for the Ethiopian market.
