RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The talent of its people, the economic stability, and the solid ecosystem are some of the reasons for PepsiCo to set its eyes again on Uruguay with an investment of US$64 million in a world-class concentrates plant, as stated by its CEO for Latin America, Paula Santilli.
During a visit to Uruguay in which she met with the country’s president, Luis Lacalle Pou, and carried out various activities, the Argentinean, who has been living in Mexico for several years, received Efe news service to talk about this investment, which will be aimed at expanding its current distribution plant in the historic city of Colonia del Sacramento.
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“We are very happy, proud to announce an investment in Colonia del Sacramento. A significant investment for PepsiCo, US$64 million, which we will invest in the concentrates plant, where the magic of all our beverages is made, all our secrets are there. From Colonia, we export to more than 21 countries throughout Latin America”, says the executive director.
Through this investment, Santilli assures that the plant’s capacity will be expanded by 60% with “superstar technology, the best there is on the planet today,” and they will be able to reach higher export levels.
Colonia is not just any place for the multinational company since all the beverages produced for the rest of the continent leave from there, and this plant is one of the eight that PepsiCo has distributed in different parts of the world.
According to Santilli, the work will take about 5 years to be done while the plant is still operating, but he assures that it is a short time for what the size means.
“(In Uruguay) The talent is spectacular, it is one of the things we look at, when we are going to invest money, one of the factors we pay a lot of attention to is that we have the people and the talent necessary to handle this new technology,” she emphasizes.
For PepsiCo, it is also “essential” the “ecosystem of economic stability and legal certainty” that Uruguay has, this combo between the talent of its workers and certainties makes Uruguay a great place to invest.
She also emphasizes that the investment will have a strong focus on environmental care. In the facilities already operating, “almost everything” generated as waste is recycled or biodegradable.
“When PepsiCo invests, the country grows, quality jobs grow, with excellent training, with training in the best technologies, sustainable jobs that do not stop,” she emphasizes and adds that, at present, the company employs “214 families” in Uruguay.
A KEY PLAYER IN EXPORTS
The multinational company has a great weight in the Uruguayan economy. In fact, Santilli maintains that today it is Uruguay’s fifth-largest exporter and that export figures are around US$600 million a year.
This investment plays an important role in the country’s economy since it is estimated that this volume will grow as Latin American countries recover from the adverse effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
“That’s why we are expanding capacity. If we didn’t have foresight for innovation, growth, we wouldn’t be investing,” she stresses.
During her brief visit to Uruguay, the executive director was received by Lacalle Pou to bring him “the good news” and assured that the president was “pleased”. “We are here to thank you, to invite you to inaugurate the plant, we are here to support this great country to grow,” she affirms.
In addition to this development that aims more at the region than at the local level, Santilli considers that they have “very nice businesses” in Uruguay both at the beverage and food level but, undoubtedly, the star product is Paso de los Toros, the tonic water or grapefruit drink that bears the name of an Uruguayan town.
“Hopefully, other companies will be encouraged to come and invest in Uruguay, that is also an important message we want to give to other investors. We are here to invest, PepsiCo does not take an investment of this size in Uruguay lightly, for us, it is a decision, and we hope that many more businessmen also dare to invest in Uruguay,” she concludes.