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28 March 2024

PepsiCo chairman inaugurates new snacks plant in Saudi

Indra Nooyi inaugurates the all-new snacks plant (Supplied)

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By Staff

PepsiCo yesterday inaugurated its newest snacks manufacturing facility in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This is the company’s 15th facility in the Middle East. PepsiCo has been doing business in the region for 60 years.

Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, who inaugurated the all-new snacks plant, was accompanied by Dr. Tawfig Alrabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and Saleh Al Rasheed, Director General of the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) at the opening of the state-of-the-art facility.

“The Middle East is a dynamic food and beverage market and a critical engine of growth for PepsiCo,” said Nooyi. “Over the years, PepsiCo and Saudi Arabia have prospered together and the investment in this plant is testament to our belief in PepsiCo’s bright future in this country and the wider region. The plant will be a critical hub for our company, bringing some of PepsiCo’s best-loved snacks and newest innovations to Saudi Arabia and markets throughout the region,” she added.

The Dammam plant covers 55,000 square meters and will employ 300 staff, including 40 women.

The new facility is the latest addition to PepsiCo’s growing network of energy-efficient buildings around the world. The plant was built in accordance with criteria set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world's leading green building standard, and is expected to reduce PepsiCo’s environmental footprint by minimizing waste and maximizing energy efficiency.

The Middle East is a key component of PepsiCo’s overall plan to drive growth in developing and emerging markets globally. Developing and emerging markets accounted for 35 percent of PepsiCo’s net revenue in 2013.

The opening of the Dammam plant follows two months after PepsiCo opened an innovation center in Dubai’s Dubiotech, its first facility in the Middle East. The facility will serve as a hub of new products and flavors innovations for PepsiCo’s businesses across the region.