Gaza’s new Coca Cola plant to start operating in months

Beverage giant Coca Cola is set to open a plant in Gaza this October, marking the multinational’s fourth factory in Palestine, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The $20 million investment in the Palestinian enclave will hike up the number of Palestinians employed by Coca Cola from 500 to 800.

While starting a project in Hamas-controlled Gaza may sound riskier than opting for the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority is based, Imad Hindi, the general manager of National Beverage Company (NBC), said the company has long been an investor in Palestine.

“Coca Cola is the first and largest global company that has invested in Palestine and these investments are opening the gates for others. The same thing will occur in Gaza,” Hindi, who heads the company which bottles and distributes Coca Cola products in Palestine, said during a press trip to one of the three plants in the West Bank earlier this week.

Coca Cola has factories in Ramallah, Tulkarim and Jericho and is the fifth largest investor in the country, Hurriyet reported.

The Coca Cola share in the Palestinian market is at 86 percent, the largest for the company in the region.