the Coca-Cola

Athens-listed Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company has announced the acquisition of Finlandia vodka from Brown-Forman Finland, for $220 million.

Founded in 1970, Finlandia is a leading vodka brand in Central and Eastern Europe with annual volumes of 2.7 million nine-liter cases worldwide, of which more than 60% is produced within the Coca-Cola HBC geographical footprint.

The bottling company Coca-Cola HBK Bulgaria officially opened the expansion of its production base in Kostinbrod, which includes a new production line and additional storage area. The investment in the project amounts to EUR 20 million or BGN 40 million, which was announced two years ago.

Since its inception in 1992, Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria has been one of the major economic drivers in the country. With over 2,300 employees, two production plants, in Kostinbrod (soft drinks) and in Bankia (mineral water), seven distribution centers and BGN 84 million in taxes and fees paid to the government budget in 2018, the company continues to be a key contributor to the local economy.

The main priorities the management of the Coca-Cola HBC AG group has set for 2019 are acquisitions of strong local brands (mainly in the categories of bottled water and juice), cooperations with companies active in online commerce (especially in packaged food), and emphasis on the hotel sector.

Coca-Cola European Partners chose Varna for the location of its newest financial office. It will be open in May 2019, with over 90 jobs open. The new jobs in Varna will complement the 700 existing positions that the Coca-Cola European Partner team has in Sofia.

Jurg Burkhalter is the new CEO of Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria, the company said.

He will replace the current head Svetoslav Atanasov, who will continue his career as executive director of Coca-Cola HBC for Serbia and Montenegro.

Just when you think there’s no end to the diversity of junk food lining supermarket aisles, an insanely detailed infographic comes along to set us all straight. Out of the hundreds of products at our disposal, only ten major corporations manufacture the bulk of what we toss in our shopping carts.