German soft drinks brand Fritz-Kola has announced it is extending its bottling capabilities into Belgium, through a partnership with Konings Juices and Drinks BV.
Borgloon-based Konings will commence bottling of Fritz-Kola products from 1 February, in 0.2, 0.33 and 0.5-litre sizes, the company said in a statement.
To mark its move into Belgium, Fritz-Kola has established a new subsidiary in the country, Fritz-Kola Belgium.
The move also improves the logistics capabilities for Fritz-Kola, as production for some markets in western Germany will now take place in Belgium.
It said that the decision to open in Belgium 'creates the basis for selling the company's products even more efficiently and sustainably'.
'A Milestone'
“The expansion to Belgium is a milestone for our company and a clear commitment to the markets in the Benelux region, which play an important role in our growth in Europe," commented Florian Weins, managing director at Fritz-Kola.
"At the same time, the choice of location supports our environmental goals. It enables our customers in western Germany to have shorter collection routes and therefore reduced CO2 emissions. A customer from Cologne saves around 200kg of CO2 per round trip."
Bottling Network
The new bottling facility adds to the company's existing network of five contract bottling plants across Germany (located in Wagenfeld, Güstrow, Sersheim, Eilenburg, and Bamberg) and a logistics center in Unterschleißheim. Future efforts to grow its network across Europe are already in the works.
The project was led by Oliver Moritz, director of operations, with Philipp Beindorff, head of supply chain, and Gesche Olesen, head of buying, overseeing its implementation.
