Coca-Cola going strong in Winnipeg

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This article was published 25/09/2023 (1043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly 71 million bottles of Coca-Cola products filter through Winnipeg’s distribution centre annually.

The company plans to keep expanding.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Todd Parsons, Coca-Cola Canada Bottling’s chief executive.

He visited the Inkster Boulevard distribution centre Monday. The stop was part of an anniversary tour across Canada celebrating Coca-Cola Canada Bottling’s acquisition of previously American-owned plants.

The Canadian corporation acquired more than 50 facilities, including five production plants, from international giant The Coca-Cola Company in 2018.

Since then, it’s invested more than $220 million in its spaces. Winnipeg has seen around $315,000 for upgrades of its site.

Further investments are coming to Winnipeg, Parsons said, declining to elaborate.

“It’s a big service area, it’s a really important market for us and it’s been growing,” he said. “We’ve been growing faster in Winnipeg over the last couple of years than most other markets.”

The national company makes and distributes drinks like Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. It installs soda fountains in Winnipeg McDonald’s and fixes local A&W drink machines; it’s behind many of the Coca-Cola displays found in stores.

Currently, it injects more than $1.8 million into the Manitoba economy, according to Coca-Cola.

Going forward, the company needs to “invest heavily” into manufacturing, distribution and its employees, Parsons said.

“We’re gonna grow pretty dramatically,” he added.

Earlier this year, Coke Canada Bottling announced $70 million for a new Calgary facility. In 2022, it announced nearly $42 million for British Columbia operations.

The forthcoming renovations for Winnipeg Parsons listed were less dramatic — perhaps a new roof and a staging area.

Regardless, Parsons said he’s “pleased” with the Inkster operation and its 3,000 customers.

“Many of the large companies we compete against don’t employ enough people to provide those (clients) with the time they need,” he said.

Giving time to customers — providing advice, building displays — is partly why the business is growing in Manitoba, he added.

Around 180 people work at Coca-Cola’s Winnipeg hub. Nationally, the number balloons to 5,700.

“I’ve seen (the business) change in so many different ways,” said Nina Patenaude, an administrative coordinator at the Winnipeg distribution centre.

She began as a receptionist on site nearly 33 years ago, back when employees bottled Coke in glass and ashtrays decorated office desks.

She flipped through a scrapbook of the site’s history Monday, surrounded by co-workers celebrating the new ownership’s fifth anniversary.

“We love to celebrate,” she laughed. “The facility is going through a positive.”

Coca-Cola’s roots in Winnipeg date beyond the Inkster site’s creation in 1964. The city’s first Coke plant began in 1915.

Shortly after, its sales outpaced the company’s United States bottling facility. It claimed the title of Coca-Cola’s Canadian headquarters until 1923.

The current facility initially cost $1.5 million to build, a Free Press article from the time reads.

“It’s good to see the company of Coke has been around (in Winnipeg) almost as long as the City of Winnipeg,” said Markus Chambers, Winnipeg’s deputy mayor.

Coun. Chambers (St. Norbert–Seine River) attended the anniversary festivities. “They’re adding economic growth to our city, which is much appreciated,” he stated.

Consumer expectations continue to change; for example, sustainability is a much bigger focus now, said Teresa Woyna, the location’s general manager.

Retooling employees to work with digital technology will be a priority, Parsons said.

Coca-Cola Bottling donated $10,000 to Manitoba non-profits for its anniversary.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com