COLOMBIA · BUSINESS
Key Facts
- The country Colombia is a major US trade and security partner in South America, led since August 2026 by President Abelardo De la Espriella.
- Why it matters A Mexico-based bottler of the American Coca-Cola brands is expanding in Colombia, with the new government putting its weight behind the project.
- Why now President De la Espriella inaugurated the Barranquilla expansion on Friday 30 October 2026.
- What happened Coca-Cola FEMSA opened an expanded plant in Barranquilla with two new production lines and 150 new direct jobs.
- The numbers 150 new direct jobs; more than 1,200 jobs at the plant and distribution center; more than 20% of the company’s Colombian production; investment not stated at the event.
- What it means for you More local supply on Colombia’s Caribbean coast and an early test of how foreign companies read the new government.
- Still open The amount invested and the added capacity were not stated, and the four-year investment plan is due in December.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
In Plain English
Coca-Cola FEMSA is the Mexico-based bottler that makes and sells Coca-Cola drinks in Colombia and other Latin American markets. The Coca-Cola Company, based in the United States, owns the brands and works with the bottler on investment plans.
ProBarranquilla is the city’s agency for attracting investment. The Atlántico department is the Colombian region around Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast.
Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella inaugurated an expansion of Coca-Cola FEMSA‘s plant in Barranquilla on Friday 30 October 2026, adding 150 direct jobs and concentrating more than a fifth of the company’s Colombian production in the Caribbean port city. The amount invested was not stated at the event, but a May 2024 local report cited about US$80 million at the plant, a figure the 2026 reports do not confirm.
Coca-Cola FEMSA is the Mexico-based bottler of Coca-Cola drinks in Colombia, and the opening follows a four-year investment plan for Colombia that the companies presented to the government, as El Tiempo reported on 2 September. The expansion already appeared in ProBarranquilla’s 2024 investment report, so the opening completes a project that predates the new government.
What Opened in Barranquilla
Semana reported that the expansion adds two new high-technology production lines at the Barranquilla complex, described as among the most advanced in the company’s global network. Portafolio reported that the plant, together with its distribution center, already employs more than 1,200 people.
The 150 jobs are direct positions at the plant, and Portafolio attributed that figure and the share of more than a fifth of national output to the Presidency. Portafolio added that the presidency did not detail the added capacity or the extra products, and that the project includes technology meant to cut water and energy use.
What the Officials Said
According to Portafolio, De la Espriella said he wants big international companies to set their eyes on Colombia. Semana quoted him as saying that Coca-Cola is also from Barranquilla, and that he thinks of young people landing their first job.
Commerce Minister Mauricio Gómez Amín wrote on social media that the project lifts the productive capacity of the Atlántico department and opens employment opportunities, El Heraldo reported. El Heraldo, Portafolio and Semana all dated the inauguration to 30 October.
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The Money Question
No amount was stated at the inauguration, and Portafolio wrote that the event did not specify the sum invested. A Notas Económicas report of 16 May 2024 cited an investment of about US$80 million, quoting the city’s mayor and the investment agency ProBarranquilla, with two new lines, a 40% rise in capacity and more than 700 jobs.
The 2024 job figure of more than 700 is far above the 150 direct jobs cited at the 2026 inauguration, so the two numbers may count different things. Forbes Colombia reported in September 2023 that the plant’s capacity would grow by almost 50% and that the expansion was slated for 2024.
Coca-Cola’s Four-Year Plan for Colombia
El Tiempo reported on 2 September that executives of The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola FEMSA had presented the government with growth plans for the next four years, with the amount kept confidential for now. Details are due in December 2026 from Barranquilla, as FEMSA marks its 100th anniversary.
Coca-Cola FEMSA arrived in Colombia in 2003 after buying Panamco and now operates seven plants and 24 distribution centers, El Tiempo reported. Andrés Mauricio Torres Rico was named president of Coca-Cola FEMSA Colombia after four years in Mexico, where he led marketing strategy between 2022 and 2026.
What It Means for You
For US readers, Coca-Cola FEMSA is a Mexico-based bottler of an American soft-drink brand, so the plant ties a US consumer name, Mexican capital and Colombian jobs together in one project. For US investors, it is a small data point on whether Colombia can attract foreign capital under a government that says it wants major international companies to look at the country.
For Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Semana wrote that the added capacity is meant to supply Barranquilla, the Caribbean market and the rest of the country. No price changes or launches were announced, and the additional products the plant will make were not detailed.
What Is Not Known
The amount invested at the Barranquilla plant, in pesos or dollars, was not stated at the inauguration, and the 2024 figure of about US$80 million cannot be tied to the final project with certainty. The added production capacity in liters or cases was not given either.
It is not known how the 150 direct jobs compare with the more than 700 jobs cited in 2024, or how many indirect jobs the plant supports. The four-year investment plan for Colombia is still confidential, with details promised for December 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who inaugurated the Coca-Cola FEMSA plant in Barranquilla?
President Abelardo De la Espriella inaugurated the expansion on Friday 30 October 2026. Commerce Minister Mauricio Gómez Amín also took part, according to Portafolio.
How many jobs does the Barranquilla expansion create?
Portafolio and Semana report 150 direct jobs at the plant. The plant and its distribution center already employ more than 1,200 people.
How much did Coca-Cola FEMSA invest in Barranquilla?
No amount was stated at the 30 October inauguration. A May 2024 Notas Económicas report cited about US$80 million at the plant, a figure the 2026 reports do not confirm.
What does the expansion add to the plant?
Semana reports two new high-technology production lines. Portafolio says the plant will account for more than a fifth of Coca-Cola FEMSA’s production in Colombia.
Who is the president of Colombia in October 2026?
Abelardo De la Espriella holds the office, and Portafolio and El Heraldo both describe him as president in their 30 October reports. He attended the inauguration in Barranquilla.
Sources: Portafolio, 30 October 2026; Semana, 30 October 2026; El Heraldo, 30 October 2026; El Tiempo, 2 September 2026; El Espectador, 2 September 2026; Notas Económicas, 16 May 2024; Forbes Colombia, 26 September 2023.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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