Coca-Cola, bottling partners have $10B of U.S. projects in the works

It’s not clear yet if any investments are planned for Coca-Cola’s home state of Georgia. A spokesperson did immediately respond to a request for more information.

Coca-Cola on Tuesday also touted the U.S. beverage system’s economic impact in 2025, including its corporate operations and network of 61 bottling partners.

The system contributed $85 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and supported nearly 1 million American jobs, according to a study the company commissioned from consulting firm Steward Redqueen. That’s grown from the company’s last study released three years ago.

Coca-Cola, headquartered in Atlanta, has an extensive network of bottling partners across the globe, most of which are independent businesses.

Coca-Cola over recent years has exited many of its bottling investments, instead focusing on brand development and marketing. Its bottlers buy syrup and concentrate from Coca-Cola and produce and distribute the drinks in the markets they serve.

Some of Coca-Cola’s U.S. bottling partners have announced big projects. For example, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling said earlier this year it broke ground on a new bottling and distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Another bottler, Swire Coca-Cola, has a $475 million manufacturing facility in the works for Colorado Springs, Colorado. And Coca-Cola Consolidated, the largest U.S. bottler, said it would spend $35 million to expand manufacturing capabilities in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Among other big investments, Coca-Cola’s milk brand Fairlife recently opened a new $650 million processing plant in Webster, New York, expected to be fully operational later this year. Fairlife is also expanding a production facility in Coopersville, Michigan.

Coca-Cola’s new CEO, Henrique Braun, has said one of his top priorities is to get closer to consumers, with the goal of building brands that resonate in local markets and then scaling the successful ones globally. As part of that effort, the company is opening innovation hubs across its operating units, he has said.

Coca-Cola this year celebrates 140 years in business, with the first-ever soda poured from a downtown Atlanta pharmacy in May 1886. Today, Coca-Cola has a portfolio of more than 200 brands, including sparkling soft drinks, water and sports drinks, coffee, tea, juices, and dairy and plant-based drinks.

“The Coca-Cola system is deeply rooted in America and continues to deliver meaningful value for the people and communities we serve,” John Murphy, Coca-Cola president and chief financial officer, said in the release.