CO-RO pursues new ventures in East Africa

CO-RO, the global provider of fruit-based soft drinks and well-known brands such as Suntop, Sunquick, and Sun Cola, has their eyes fixed on Africa. With a strong local partner onboard, the company embarks on an ambitious growth plan in East Africa:

“With our partner Bidco Africa we have built a new factory in Kenya. We are right now launching Suntop as our first product – in four flavors and two sizes,” Søren Holm Jensen, President – CO-RO, explains.

Long-term experience in Africa

Today CO-RO’s products are available in more than 80 markets around the globe with a strong footprint in the Middle East and Asia – and in North African countries such as Libya where the Suntop brand has been marketed for 40 years.

The new plant in Kenya is located just north of the Capital Nairobi allowing access to all countries in East Africa, thanks to the strong distribution network from the partner Bidco Africa. Bidco is a well-established manufacturer of many well-known brands in East- and Central Africa, with a very strong distribution network across the region.

“Both we and our partner are bringing special competencies to the shared company named Bidcoro. Our partner has a strong distribution network, that can ensure availability in more than 40,000 Kenyan shops and access to neighboring countries such as Uganda and Tanzania. We bring high quality products, technology, and marketing excellence to the partnership,” says Søren Holm Jensen.

Great potential

The two partners see great potential in the fruit-based soft drink category in East Africa, and are investing three-digit million Danish Kroner in the project:

“Suntop is our first product in Kenya, but over time we will launch more products and expand to more markets in East Africa. We get access to a market with 390 million Africans – and we hope East Africa in the mid-term will become one of our key markets,” Søren Holm Jensen adds.

The new 11,000 m2 plant will from the outset have two production lines, and has room for expansion in line with market demand and new product launches. The factory has been underway for two years and production has now started. Our local management team has hired and trained more than 50 local employees in just a few months.

With the partnership in East Africa, CO-RO continues a strategic growth plan to increase our global footprint. Recently CO-RO also announced other important projects such as an innovation center at the head office in Denmark, and another partnership agreement entailing the construction of a new plant in Sri Lanka.

Long-term growth strategy

The two partners have joined forces in a shared company, Bidcoro, to succeed on the East African beverage market. Both parties have a unique owner structure, Bidco being a family owned business, and CO-RO owned by the CO-RO foundation – allowing both partners to layout a long-term growth strategy for the new partnership.

“We are excited to have Co-Ro on board as this is a great milestone towards our growth and expansion plan. We both have a great heritage built over the years and are proud to be associated with the company,” says Bidco Africa Chairman Vimal Shah.