Mexican soft drinks bottler Coca-Cola Femsa announced plans to build new bottling plants in Colombia and Brazil Wednesday, Nasdaq reported.
The company has proposed to its shareholders that new factories be built in the South American countries because the existing factory in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is running at close to 100% capacity.
Coca-Cola Femsa’s chief financial officer Hector Trevino told investors, “The existing plant in Belo Horizonte no longer meets our needs and we’re paying higher freight costs.”
Colombia is a priority market for the beverage company, although market conditions have been challenging. Sales for the first quarter fell by 8%, attributed to bad weather, and the company has been prevented from raising prices by tough competition.