Getting a pep in their step
A €127 million investment in a Little Island manufacturing facility is nearing completion, it was recently announced.
PepsiCo, the global food and beverage company, has made the investment and said it’ll see the opening of additional manufacturing capacity and further investment in its R&D campus.
With more than 40 open roles in Cork currently, the site continues to grow and expand, and this investment provides capability for further growth in the coming years, PepsiCo has said.
PepsiCo’s Little Island operation supports its portfolio of global brands including Pepsi Max, Gatorade, 7Up, Mountain Dew and Doritos.
PepsiCo said the new facility will expand its Little Island manufacturing capacity across its range of beverage ingredients, support increased demand for existing PepsiCo products and play a key role in bringing PepsiCo’s innovation pipeline to its global customer base.
PepsiCo’s R&D campus in Little Island provides regional and global leadership in the areas of beverage development, product research, testing and commercialisation, quality assurance, regulatory management and, most recently, facilitated the establishment of a global R&D Digital Engineering team, which is leading significant and transformational digital initiatives for PepsiCo.
Speaking at an event to mark the investment project, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Simon Coveney TD said: “PepsiCo has had a presence in Ireland since 1974 and has grown its operations very significantly during that time.
“This latest significant investment reinforces the company’s recognition of Ireland as a great place to do business,” the minister added.
Brian Colgan, Site Lead, PepsiCo Little Island, said: “We have called Cork home for almost 50 years, and our longevity is a testament to the dedication of our talented workforce.
“This very 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.”
PepsiCo employs more than 1,250 in Ireland and over the past 2 years, its Cork-based workforce has increased by more than 20%, with 642 of the total Ireland associate population based in the Little Island campus, inclusive of employees in the manufacturing and R&D locations.