Nestlé has begun construction of a CHF 54 million ($55 million) new food production plant in Cuba in a joint venture with Cuban company Corporación Alimentaria (Coralsa).
The facility, which will be located in the Mariel Special Development Zone, will produce Nestlé’s coffee brand Nescafé, Cuban roast coffee Serrano, Nestlé Fitness cereal-based snacks, the Nesquik powdered beverage, as well as Maggi cooking aids.
Yearly production capacity is expected to be over 18,500 tons in total, for local consumption and export. The factory will be located in a 602,779 square foot area, where manufacturing structures will occupy 139,930 square feet, distributed in two floors.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, with operations due to start in early 2020, creating 260 jobs.
Laurent Freixe, Nestlé CEO for the Americas, made a three-day visit to Cuba to mark the start of construction. “This new factory will help meet growing consumer demand and further strengthen our presence in Cuba,” he said. “Local production capacity combined with Nestlé’s know-how will benefit the local food industry and create new chances for growth.”
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Cuban food minister María Carmen de la Concepción González as well as president of Coralsa, Nelson Arias Moreno.
Nestlé Cuba country manager Harold Hoffman said: “This production plant represents a great opportunity to develop new categories with high demand in Cuban market. We seek to offer products with nutritional value, in coherence with our nutrition, health and wellness strategy, while expanding the business in the region.”
While in Cuba, the Nestlé delegation also visited the company’s Los Portales plant, at Pinar del Río, where carbonated soft drinks and bottled water are produced.
Nestlé market head for Latin Caribbean Alexandre Carreteiro added: “Cuba has great opportunities for industrial development; with this investment we aim to be a part of its growth as we are sure that it will continue to be an important engine of profitability in the Latin Caribbean region while establishing a strong footprint in the country for the next decades.”
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