Two years after the start-up of the Coca-Cola beverage concentrate and base plant in Liberia, the company has invested more than $140 million.

The amount of the accumulated investment was announced this Thursday, March 24, during a visit by the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, the First Lady, Claudia Dobles, and the Global CEO of Coca-Cola, James Quincey, who toured the facilities of the most modern Coca-Cola plant in the world.

The President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, stressed that this new plant will promote territorial development and job creation.

“I want to thank the decision of this prestigious company to expand its presence in the country and to establish in Costa Rica the most modern infrastructure in the world, which undoubtedly has a significant impact on local economic development and confirms that Costa Rica continues to be a very attractive option. attractive to invest,” he added.

From the Coca-Cola plant for concentrates and beverage bases in Liberia, the concentrate is exported to Central America, the Caribbean and other Latin American countries. The facilities produce 164 formulas for different beverages owned by the company, including the famous Coca-Cola.

Data from the Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer) place Coca-Cola in the first place in exports of the food industry, as well as the third exporter at a general level in Costa Rica.

The current production volume at the Liberia plant is greater than that produced at the previous plant, located in La Uruca in San José. Since it started operations in 2020, Liberia has significantly increased its production, as the plant finished implementing its projected capacity.

“The start of operations in Liberia has made it possible to add attention to new markets. The company is constantly evaluating the opportunities to improve its supply chain and the operation in Liberia is called to become a key player,” said William Segura, Coca-Cola Public Affairs and Communications Manager for Central America.

For Coca-Cola, the location in Liberia, Guanacaste is strategic because it provides the operation with a series of logistical advantages, such as the proximity of an international airport, the expedited departure by land to the northern region of Costa Rica and a good connection to access the main ports.

export knowledge
130 people work directly at the plant for Coca-Cola Industries, in roles that include manufacturing and logistics operations, as well as in the areas of laboratory and maintenance, finance and human resources.

The plant has a wide diversity in terms of human talent, generations and experienced personnel; In addition, it maintains a distribution very close to 50/50 between female and male talent. It is a very diverse team, where a strong presence of the millennial segment stands out.

“A large part of the human resources that we employ are mostly from the area, with which we generate a series of skills for Guanacastecans, who in the future could become leaders of one of the 18 concentrate plants that Coca-Cola has in the world. . This is a model plant, as it is one of the most technologically advanced that the company has built in the last ten years in the world”, said Segura.

In Liberia, Coca-Cola incorporated smart technologies with advanced manufacturing techniques, robotics, the Internet of Things, analytics, and process automation. This has facilitated not only digital integration for decision-making based on relevant information, but also the building of human resource capabilities. The objective is to develop and transfer this knowledge, share best practices and have a positive impact on the continuous improvement cycle of the organization at a global level.

With this plant, the company also contributes to the expansion of local economic activity, with a highly integrated and connected industrial operation, which develops new capacities, both in the human teams that work directly as well as among service providers.