Freedom Mashava, Visuals Editor 
VARUN Beverages Zimbabwe (Varun) is set to increase its foothold on the local market after commissioning a new US$60 million production plant yesterday, as it announced plans to go into other fast-moving consumer goods sectors such as juices and dairy.
The new US$60 million plant has a production capacity of 66 million bottles of sparkling beverages, cans and bottled water and comes under the company’s third phase of investments.
Varun Beverages is the second largest franchise bottler of PepsiCo carbonated drinks — Pepsi, Mirinda, Mountain Dew and Seven Up — outside the United States, and has, since 2018, been making significant inroads into the Zimbabwean market.
“The company is committed to continue to invest in Zimbabwe and as per the commitment the company added two more production lines, enhancing the capacity to 51 million bottles per month of carbonated beverage, this second phase was once again inaugurated by President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa in December 2019,” Varun beverages chairman Ravi Japuria said during the commission of the plant.
“Now with this 3rd phase of investment the total production capacity will be 66 million bottles of sparkling beverages, cans and bottled water. The total investment with the completion of the third phase is almost US$60 million”.
Under the second phase of the company’s expansion initiatives, it added three Husky production lines to produce 510 million pieces of preforms a year from virgin resin.
Mnangagwa also laid the foundation stone for the fourth phase, which has an annual capacity of 500 million pieces as the company is still looking to scale its investments.
“This backward integration initiative will help us reduce our forex requirements as well as help us boost our exports of the same to Zambia and other neighbouring countries.
“In addition to the above closure project, a new carbonated beverage production line will be installed with an additional capacity of 18 million bottles per month which will be in operation by May 2022.
“This new additional capacity will boost up the total production capacity of the plant to produce one billion bottles a year,” Japuria said.
Varun Beverages directly employs over 2 000 locals, while almost 3 500 people are indirectly employed.
The company says over 25 000 families have benefitted from the company’s operations in the country, directly and indirectly, since its inception. newsdesk@fingaz.co.zw
