In Eastern Africa, Nairobi Bottlers is the poster child of Coca-Cola’s ambitious goals of investing in Africa.
Coca-Cola and its bottling partners plan to invest US$17 billion over the 10 years to 2020 in ...read more
Africa, upping the stake by US$5 billion in 2014, from an original target of US$12 billion announced by Coca-Cola in 2010.
It is this huge ambition by Coca-Cola that Nairobi Bottlers seeks to realize, as growing population; urbanization and incomes drive growth in beverages consumption in the region.
Part of the Coca-Cola Sabco, the South African based bottling group which is Coca-Cola’s bottler in 7 Southern and Eastern African countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Uganda, Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya, Nairobi Bottlers is the biggest bottler in Kenya, producing up to 50% of the total carbonated soft drinks and water produced in Kenya by Coca-Cola’s bottling partners.
Nairobi Bottlers Limited (NBL) has been significant contributor to the Kenyan economy since 1948 when operations began in Nairobi under Coca-Cola Management on inception.
In 2013, in-line with the company’s import substitution strategy to locally source raw materials, it commissioned its own Preform Manufacturing Plant, based in Umoja in the Eastern part of Nairobi.
NBL’s total capital investment over the last 3 years exceeds Kshs.15 billion (US$150 million) on capacity, fleet, and cold drink equipment amongst other facility upgrades.
The company is jointly owned by Coca-Cola Sabco and Centum Investment Company Limited, a locally owned company which is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.
