“Chernogolovka” spoke about plans to take 50% of the market after the departure of Pepsi and Coca-Cola

After the departure of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, Chernogolovka, a soft drink maker, is going to take 50% of the Russian market, the volume of which is approaching $9 billion, Natalia Sakhnina, CEO of the company, said told Reuters.

According to Sakhnina, Chernogolovka’s business has more than doubled over the past year. The company is expected to take 30% of the Russian market within two years. For comparison: in 2021, its share was 8.5%. Further, the manufacturer builds even more ambitious plans. Sakhnina said that Chernogolovka is going to become the absolute leader in the market and approach 50%.

To meet the growing demand, the company is building an Aqualife plant in the Moscow region. Its area will be 40,000 sq. m, and more than 3 billion rubles will be spent on the construction of the facility. The first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed in March 2023.

The manufacturer’s drinks are also very popular among fast food chains. Chernogolovka already cooperates with Burger King and KFC. According to Sakhnina, the company is currently negotiating with the Vkusno — i dot (former McDonald’s) network.

After the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, PepsiCo announced that it would suspend the sale of its products in the country, and also stop investing in Russia. In June, Coca-Cola announced its withdrawal from Russia. The soda manufacturer stopped the production of drinks in the country and banned the supply of its products to the Russian Federation.

In June, Business Ombudsman Boris Titov said that Coca-Cola products could be brought into Russia through parallel imports. However, the Ministry of Agriculture said that it does not plan to include soda in the list of goods allowed for parallel imports.

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