AFTER acquiring Maluti Mountain Breweries’ interest in the soft drinks business, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has started distributing Coca-Cola products to all its customers.
business
May 18, 2021
NEO SENOKO
3 min read
Coca-Cola starts distributing products
Coca Cola drinks
Two weeks ago, the company announced that after some re-organisation, it has acquired Maluti Mountain Breweries’ interest in the soft drinks business, which is now the newly formed entity called Coca-Cola Beverages Lesotho.
The other key stakeholders in this venture include the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) and the Ministry of Finance.
The deal was signed on October 6, 2020 and all the necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained.
The non-alcoholic, ready to drink business in Lesotho will be referred to as Coca-Cola Beverages Lesotho (CCBL) and will operate as a subsidiary of CCBA, with management control.
According to the Country Manager of CCBL, Tšepo Maketela, every effort will be made to minimise any disruptions to customers.
“We are committed to growing the soft drink industry and the business in Lesotho and will endeavor to launch new products into the country market to meet consumer needs. We are also excited to partner with LNDC.
“Lesotho customers will benefit from being part of a consolidated, successful Coca-Cola system that spans 13 other markets on the continent, creating new opportunities for everyone across the value chain,” Mr Maketela said.
He showed that access to shared best practices will enhance efficiencies and a better distribution capability will provide pervasive availability of cold beverages to end-customers.
“We will also be able to respond to consumer demands more quickly,” Mr Maketela further noted.
CCBA is the eighth largest Coca-Cola bottling partner in the world by revenue, and the largest on the continent. It accounts for 40 percent of all Coca-Cola products sold in Africa by volume.
CCBA’s African footprint encompasses South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Mozambique, Comoros, Mayotte, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini and now Lesotho.
The group employs more than 16 00 people directly, almost half of them in South Africa.
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“Expanding our African footprint brings huge benefits to local consumers and businesses. By leveraging scale, we can do more for our customers and drive our sustainability goals. The creation of CCBL is another milestone in that strategy,” Mr Maketela said.
CCBA bottles and distributes beverages whose trademarks are owned by the Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) or TCCC’s affiliated entities. It has more than 40 bottling plants in 14 countries.
The creation of CCBA in 2016 was designed to advance a consolidated and more successful Coca-Cola system on the continent.
CCBA began its operations as a legal entity from July 2016 having been created as a direct result of a merger between non-alcoholic ready to drink bottling operations of the Coca-Cola Company, (then) SABMiller and Gutsche Family Investments.
CCBA shareholders are 66.5 percent Coca-Cola Company and 33.5 percent Gutsche Family Investments. The company boasts a diverse Pan-African footprint servicing over 650 000 outlets that serve a combined population of over 300 million people across the continent.
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