PepsiCo’s €127 million investment in its Little Island, Cork, manufacturing facility is almost finished. The money will be used to expand the company’scompany’s R&D campus and construct a new production plant.
Modern production technology used in the new plant strengthens PepsiCo’s portfolio of international brands, including Pepsi Max, Gatorade, 7Up, and Mountain Dew. The facility will increase the company’s ability to produce a wide range of beverage ingredients on Little Island.
In addition, it will also support increased demand for existing PepsiCo products and “bring its innovation pipeline to its global customer base,” said the company. The R&D campus supports beverage development, product research, testing and commercialisation, quality assurance, and regulatory management.
Over the last two years, its Cork-based workforce has increased by more than 20%, with 642 of its Irish workforce now based there. The Little Island operation supports the company’scompany’s portfolio of global brands, including Pepsi Max, Gatorade, 7Up, Mountain Dew and Doritos.
The company said the new investment in the campus had employed over 700 people across its contracting and vendor partners during design and construction. The company said it has over 40 open roles in Cork as its operations there continue to grow and expand, adding that its latest investment provides the capability for further growth in the coming years.
Brian Colgan, Site Lead at PepsiCo Little Island, said the company has called Cork home for almost 50 years. “Our longevity is a testament to the dedication of our talented workforce. This significant expansion will allow us to increase our manufacturing capacity and ensure that we can continue to meet the global demand for our existing and future products,” he added.
Mary Buckley, Executive Director of IDA Ireland, said that continued investment in research and development is central to the organisation’s strategy “Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth”. “This investment by PepsiCo is very welcome and demonstrates the company’scompany’s ongoing commitment to Ireland as it continues to grow its Irish operations nearly 50 years since it first established a footprint in Cork,” Ms Buckley added.
Simon Coveney, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, said that PepsiCo had been in Ireland since 1974 and had grown its operations significantly during that time. “This latest significant investment reinforces the company’scompany’s recognition of Ireland as a great place to do business,” the Minister added.
