Singapore-based holding company Food Empire has invested 6.7 billion tenge (about $13 million) in the construction of a tea and coffee production facility in Khorgos, a key gateway city linking Kazakhstan and China. The plant will produce instant coffee under the popular MacCoffee brand.
Khorgos emerges as manufacturing hub
Speaking at a recent briefing in Astana, Beibit Issabayev, governor of Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu region, which borders China, said 32 investment projects are currently underway in the Khorgos special economic zone. One of the largest is the MacCoffee beverage plant, which is being developed by Empire Manufacturing Kazakhstan.
Production capacity and jobs
Once operational, the facility is expected to produce up to 600 containers of finished products annually and employ about 250 workers.
According to Kazakhstan’s official eGov portal, Empire Manufacturing Kazakhstan is owned by Singapore-based Future Investment Holdings Pte. Ltd., which is part of the broader Food Empire group.
Food Empire and MacCoffee
Food Empire was founded in 1982. Since the mid-1990s, the company has concentrated on food and beverage manufacturing, with MacCoffee 3-in-1 instant coffee as its flagship product.
The MacCoffee brand is widely recognized across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as in Vietnam and parts of Africa. Food Empire operates manufacturing facilities in several countries, including India, Malaysia, Russia and Ukraine.
