Carlsberg and PepsiCo to invest $250 million in new beverage plant in Kazakhstan

New facility will produce 340 million liters of drinks annually / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor by Dastan Shanay

Danish brewing giant Carlsberg Group and U.S.-based PepsiCo plan to jointly build a soft drink production plant in Kazakhstan’s Almaty region, according to a statement on the Primeminister.kz website.

Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar recently met with Danish Ambassador Jesper Vahr to discuss the implementation of the project.

The plant is expected to produce up to 340 million liters of beverages per year, with a total investment exceeding $250 million. Once operational, the facility will employ around 500 people.

Ambassador Vahr emphasized that the new production site will boost the added value of local agricultural products, drive growth in related industries and enhance Kazakhstan’s export capacity.

Earlier reporting by Kursiv.media noted that PepsiCo also plans to double its investment in the construction of a Lay’s chips plant in the same region. The total investment for that project is projected to exceed $320 million.

Carlsberg Group has been actively restructuring its regional portfolio. In December 2024, the company agreed to sell its stake in Russian brewer Baltika. As part of the deal, Carlsberg will acquire Baltika’s shares in its operations in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Carlsberg initially announced its withdrawal from the Russian market in June 2023, including the sale of Baltika. However, in July, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring Baltika’s shares to the temporary control of the Federal Agency for State Property Management. Carlsberg condemned the move as an illegal takeover of the business and estimated its losses at $1 billion.

A legal dispute over the use of the Baltika brand outside Russia soon followed. In January 2024, a Russian court banned Carlsberg from using the Baltika name in Kazakhstan and five other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Carlsberg Kazakhstan appealed the decision, but on May 14, the St. Petersburg arbitration court of appeal upheld the ban.