COCA-COLA SYSTEM OPENS ROSA HOMOLJE CARBONATED WATER BOTTLING PLANT IN NERESNICA

The Coca-Cola System has officially opened a new bottling plant in Serbia, in the small town of Neresnica in the municipality of Kučevo, thereby continuing its significant investments in the Serbian economy and providing a strong incentive to economic development in the east of Serbia

This new bottling plant, the unveiling of which was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and numerous guests from the political and business world, will produce Rosa Homolje carbonated water. Five million euros is set to be invested in modernizing production and equipment in the first year alone, with 50 workers to be hired in the first phase.

Speaking at the facility’s opening, President Vučić stressed that new investments are the best way to bring people back to the Homolje region and that the opening of this new bottling plant is an opportunity for new jobs and a new future. “We are talking about how important Coca-Cola is for the whole world and what it represents as a brand. That’s why we want Coca-Cola to enter every part of our country, just as it has entered every American household, because that means we’ll be stronger and more significant and that Serbia will progress faster. Wherever Coca-Cola arrives, people not only receive secure jobs, but it is also certain that we will have profit, a market and, first and foremost, assured quality,” said President Vučić, noting that the Coca-Cola System provides a significant contribution to improving Serbia’s export potential.

The Neresnica bottling plant is the Coca-Cola System’s fourth major acquisition in Serbia over the last two decades, during which the Coca-Cola family has been joined by Vlasina’s Rosa water, Next Juices and food manufacturer Bambi. With its comprehensive 24/7 portfolio, as well as its partnership relations with the local community, this company has reaffirmed its status is an indispensable partner of customers, consumers and the local economy. “Rosa Homolje marks the start of a new era and is our new growth driver, with which we will achieve an even greater contribution to the economy as a whole. With high quality and high production standards, we will raise the bar to an even higher level. We have plans to expand the capacity and export Rosa Homolje to the markets of the region,” announced Coca-

Cola HBC Serbia and Montenegro General Manager Svetoslav Atanasov.

He added that the Coca-Cola System continues to be a reliable partner to the Serbian economy, and now also to its new home: the Homolje region.

Rosa Homolje is sourced from the heart of untouched nature that is Homolje and represents a genuine refreshing change on the market. With this innovation, the Coca-Cola System in Serbia has once again showed that it monitors consumer desires continuously, but also that – as a proven market leader – it recognizes and creates trends, thereby contributing to the development of the market as a whole.

“We are extremely proud of the new member of our portfolio, Rosa Homolje carbonated water, which is sourced from high-quality, calcium-rich springs that are over 20,000 years old. With strong brand positioning, we want to approach consumers with a message of the impressive quality that characterizes our new product,” said Coca-Cola Country General

Manager for Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, Luca Santandrea.

Since opening its first bottling plant in Serbia back in 1968, the Coca-Cola System has invested continuously in the community, creating both jobs and new values, while at the same operating in accordance with the highest environmental protection standards.

According to the latest data available, related to 2019, production and trade in the products of the Coca-Cola System brings 291 million euros of added value to the Serbian economy, equating to 0.6% of the Republic of Serbia’s GDP. The system employs 1,700 people directly and supports another 14,400 jobs in related industries and sectors of the Serbian economy.