Coke Canada Bottling invests US$28.5M in new manufacturing line in Lachine

CANADA – Coke Canada Bottling, the Canadian franchise bottler for Coca-Cola, has revealed plans to invest US$28.5million (C$34m) to develop a manufacturing line at its facility in Lachine, Québec.

The company hopes that the line will expedite its growth and address the needs of consumers in the Québec market. It is also expected to help the company strengthen its position in the Greater Montreal Area.

In addition to facilitating local production of canned beverages, the line will expand the facility’s capacity to allow more Aliments du Québec products to be certified.

These products will include the new 32-pack Coke Classic packaging, Coke Zero, Diet Coke and Canada Dry Ginger Ale. The facility is scheduled to be operational early next year.

The line is intended to strengthen the company’s presence in the Greater Montreal Area and help drive its growth.

Coke Canada Bottling CEO Todd Parsons said: “We are a family business and, as Montreal’s local bottler, we’re very committed to investing in our business for the long-term.

“As a still relatively new company, we’re experiencing very positive momentum in the local market and we’re making investments in our operations to drive our growth.

“These actions all reflect our mission to deliver optimism and create a better future for our customers, consumers and communities.”

Coke Canada Bottling locally manufactures and packages more than 120 stock-keeping units into seven different packages on three lines to cater to around 9,700 customers.

The family-owned company produces around 25 million cases of product a year, including Coca-Cola, Canada Dry and A&W products, as well as the recently launched clear Sprite and Fresca bottles.

In the Greater Montreal Area, Coke Canada Bottling operates the Lachine manufacturing facility and a sales and distribution center in Montreal, employing more than 560 colleagues at the two facilities.

Earlier, the company invested US$32.5 million in capacity expansion projects to meet growing demand in the British Columbia region.

The new manufacturing line, which is expected to be operational in spring 2023, will enable the company to produce pre-form bottles, increase capacity and reduce packaging emissions, the company stated.

According to the bottling company, the line will also offer expanded storage capabilities and enable a seamless transition of the products from production to placement on the company’s iconic Red Truck for distribution.

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