News

A new investment at Coca-Cola Hungary: smartwater

GLACEAU smartwater will get to the markets of eight countries in addition to Hungary from Zalaszentgrót.

Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary has again increased its production capacity with an investment of about HUF 1.8 billion and launched the bottling of a brand new, innovative product, smartwater. GLACEAU smartwater produced by a unique technology inspired by the clouds will be delivered to eight countries besides Hungary from Zalaszentgrót.

Coca‑Cola Hungary has implemented an investment unique in Central Europe: the company has launched the bottling of a brand new, innovative premium product, smartwater as a result of an investment in the value of HUF 1.8 billion. The raw material of GLACEA smartwater is the mineral water of the Zalaszentgrót bottling plant of the company from which the extraordinarily clean and fresh drink enriched with added electrolytes is made with a production process imitating cloud formation. The technology needed for making smartwater has only been used in the UK and the Netherlands in Europe so far.

Initially, GLACEAU smartwater made in Hungary will be delivered to outlets in Italy, Austria, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia and Ireland. The largest soft drink bottler of Hungary expects ramp-up in the years to come with 100 million bottles to be produced annually.

“The development of Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary is of key importance for the Hungarian food industry because the Zalaszentgrót plant is the first production site in Central Europe where the most well-known soft drink brand has applied this unique technology” – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szíjjártó pointed out.

“The innovative investment now completed will further enhance our role as a Central-European production hub which is our strategic goal” – said Minas Agelidis, General Manager of Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary. He added that smartwater was a special product of the water market that had expanded dynamically in the world, and it had grown to be a premium brand already in Great Britain and the United States.

Due to the continuous production capacity increase of the last few years, the export of Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary has tripled and today the company transports soft drinks, juices and mineral waters to 26 countries in Europe. Because of growing export, the company built the largest food industry warehouse in Hungary in 2017 and in 2018 it bought an extra 13 hectares of land near its Dunaharaszti headquarters to erect the largest production hub of the Coca‑Cola HBC Group in Central Europe. The company procures two-thirds of the raw materials needed for production in Hungary thus it provides export markets for Hungarian enterprises.