PepsiCo has opened its fifth production plant in Poland in Świątem near Środa Śląska. The investment worth over PLN 1 billion will contribute to expanding the product range and increasing the scale of production, ultimately targeted at 20 European markets, the company’s representatives informed.
It is the most environmentally sustainable, technologically advanced and innovative PepsiCo facility in the European Union, emphasizes PepsiCo. The value of the environmental solutions used in the plant is PLN 30.3 million. The general contractor was Budimex.
“I want to emphasize that this investment is an excellent proof that ultra-modern greenfield projects can be implemented in Poland. It is not only 450 – and ultimately over 600 jobs – but the entire eco-systerm that will be created in the Średzki district. […] This is an investment that will benefit Poland, the local economy and our American partners,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who was present at the opening ceremony.
“We couldn’t have celebrated the 30th anniversary of our presence in Poland in a better way than by opening an investment worth over PLN 1 billion. The opening of this new, environmentally sustainable plant is a milestone for PepsiCo in Europe,” said PepsiCo Europe President Silviu Popovici.
In the first phase of production, the plant will have 3 production lines. Two lines will be used for the production of Lay’s potato chips (PC), and the third will produce Doritos nachos for the first time in Poland.
According to PepsiCo, the plant is a model example of the Circular Economy (Circular Economy). An innovative solution is the heat recovery system from the potato frying process. The generated power is 3 MW, which is 60% of the heat necessary to heat the entire building. Technological processes are powered exclusively from green sources. The plant uses a 3.2 MW electric steam boiler, which significantly reduces its carbon footprint. By producing products from natural raw materials, the food plant generates large amounts of biogas, which is also obtained in the wastewater treatment process. 100% of this biogas is used in the plant to heat the treatment plant building. According to the reuse assumptions, even starch from the potato processing process will be recovered in a centrifuge and sold as a raw material, e.g. for processing into animal feed.
PepsiCo has been investing on the Polish market for over 30 years, and the opening of the new facility is the seal of the organization’s activities in our country, the company emphasizes. For years, there have been 4 plants in Poland, producing snacks in Grodzisk Mazowiecki and Tomaszów Mazowiecki, and bottling drinks in Michrów and Żnin. In 2020, the company opened a Business Services Center in Krakow. Currently, PepsiCo employs over 4,000 people in Poland. Revenues of all Pepsico Group companies in Poland amounted to PLN 4.4 billion in 2021.
PepsiCo is present in more than 200 countries and regions around the world. In 2022, the total net revenue from sales of complementary food and beverage products offered by the Lays, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream brands, which are part of the PepsiCo concern, amounted to over USD 86 billion.