Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan

Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan is a beverage-bottling joint venture established in Uzbekistan in 1993 by the Uzbek state and The Coca-Cola Company. The company produces and distributes Coca-Cola-branded soft drinks and other beverage products for the Uzbek market. It began manufacturing in March 1994, initially targeting annual output of approximately 2.2 million gallons, and subsequently expanded its production footprint through facilities in Tashkent, Namangan, and Urgench. The business was initially formed with three principal shareholder groups: Roz Trading Ltd., an entity associated with Afghan-American businessman Mansur Maqsudi; The Coca-Cola Company, through The Coca-Cola Export Corporation; and Uzpishprom, an Uzbek state enterprise. Its plant network was developed in stages to serve the capital, the densely populated Fergana Valley, and western Uzbekistan. A second Tashkent-area facility opened in May 1996, a Namangan plant began operations in February 1997, and a plant in Urgench opened in June 1997. The company's ownership history became contentious after the Uzbek government investigated Roz Trading in 2001 over alleged financial impropriety. Roz Trading's shares were subsequently taken over by the Uzbek state. In 2006, Mansur Maqsudi brought a claim against The Coca-Cola Company, alleging that the company had acted in concert with the Uzbek government to deprive Roz Trading of its majority interest. The dispute is an important part of the joint venture's corporate history, although the available reference material does not establish a final legal outcome. By 2019, Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan reportedly held close to half of Uzbekistan's soft-drinks market and generated revenue of UZS 1.4 trillion. The revenue figure is tied to 2019 and should not be treated as a current financial measure. That same year, the Uzbek government included the company among 64 major state-owned enterprises targeted for privatization as part of a broader program intended to make Uzbekistan more attractive to foreign investors. In March 2020, The Coca-Cola Company announced a planned investment of $31 million in the Uzbek joint venture to modernize and upgrade its bottling plants. In December 2020, the Uzbek government said it had appointed Rothschild & Co to advise on the sale of part of the state's stake. The company is headquartered in Tashkent and operates four production facilities: two in Tashkent, one in Namangan, and one in Urgench. Its role is primarily that of a local bottler and distributor rather than an independent global beverage brand. Its market position is supported by The Coca-Cola Company's brand portfolio, production know-how, and distribution system, combined with state participation and domestic manufacturing capacity.

Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan was established in 1993 as a joint venture involving the Uzbek state and The Coca-Cola Company. Its original shareholder structure also included Roz Trading Ltd., associated with businessman Mansur Maqsudi, and Uzpishprom, an Uzbek state enterprise. Production began in March 1994, with an initial annual output target of about 2.2 million gallons. The company expanded its manufacturing network during the second half of the 1990s. A second bottling plant opened in the Kirbay district near Tashkent in May 1996. A Namangan facility opened in February 1997 to serve the Fergana Valley, and a fourth plant began operating in Urgench in June 1997, extending coverage to the western part of the country. The company is headquartered in Tashkent and has continued to operate two facilities in Tashkent together with the Namangan and Urgench plants. Ownership became disputed after the Uzbek government investigated Roz Trading in 2001 over alleged financial impropriety. After the investigation, Roz Trading's shares were taken over by the Uzbek state. In June 2006, Mansur Maqsudi filed a claim against The Coca-Cola Company, alleging that the company had collaborated with the Uzbek government to remove Roz Trading from its majority position. The available reference material does not state the final outcome of the claim. The business later became part of Uzbekistan's state-enterprise reform agenda. In March 2019, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree designed to improve the country's attractiveness to foreign investors and identify major state-owned enterprises for privatization. Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan was included among 64 enterprises covered by the plan. The company reportedly controlled nearly half of Uzbekistan's soft-drinks market in 2019 and recorded revenue of UZS 1.4 trillion that year. In March 2020, The Coca-Cola Company announced a planned $31 million investment in the Uzbek joint venture for bottling-plant upgrades. In December 2020, the Uzbek government announced that Rothschild & Co had been engaged to advise on the sale of part of the state's stake. The company therefore combines an international brand and technical partner with substantial state ownership and a domestic manufacturing and distribution network.

1. 2020Planned plant modernization investment announced

   The Coca-Cola Company announced a planned $31 million investment to upgrade the Uzbek joint venture's bottling plants.

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2. 2020Rothschild & Co appointed for stake-sale advisory

   The Uzbek government announced the appointment of Rothschild & Co to manage the sale of part of its joint-venture stake.

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3. 2019Included in Uzbekistan privatization program

   The company was listed among 64 large state-owned enterprises selected for a privatization initiative.

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4. 2006Ownership dispute enters litigation

   Mansur Maqsudi filed a claim against The Coca-Cola Company concerning the loss of Roz Trading's stake.

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5. 2001State takes over Roz Trading shares

   Following a government investigation into alleged financial impropriety, Roz Trading's interest was taken over by the Uzbek state.

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6. 1997Namangan and Urgench facilities added

   The company opened a Namangan plant in February and a fourth plant in Urgench in June, expanding its national production coverage.

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7. 1996Second Tashkent-area plant opens

   A second facility opened in the Kirbay district on the outskirts of Tashkent.

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8. 1994Production begins

   The company began production in March with an initial annual output target of approximately 2.2 million gallons.

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9. 1993Joint venture established

   Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan was formed in Uzbekistan with participation from the Uzbek state, The Coca-Cola Company, Roz Trading Ltd., and Uzpishprom.

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A domestic Coca-Cola bottling and distribution platform combining international beverage brands with local production and market coverage in Uzbekistan.

• Coca-Cola-branded carbonated soft drinksCarbonated soft drinks1994

  The company's principal activity is bottling and distributing Coca-Cola-branded carbonated beverages for the Uzbek market. The available reference identifies the company as a Coca-Cola bottler but does not provide a complete SKU list, package architecture, or detailed product chronology.

• Bottled waterWater

  Bottled water is identified in the existing dossier as a typical product category. Specific brand names, formats, launch dates, and production details are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 2020Invest in bottling-plant upgradesStrategy

  The Uzbek joint venture required modernization as it served a large domestic soft-drinks market and remained a strategically important local bottling platform.

  What changed. The Coca-Cola Company announced a planned $31 million investment in the joint venture to upgrade its bottling facilities.

  Aftermath. The available reference does not report the completion status, precise allocation, or operational results of the investment.

  Planned investment. $31 million announced investment (2020)

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• 2019Include the company in the national privatization programStrategy

  Uzbekistan introduced a reform program intended to improve conditions for foreign investors and restructure or privatize selected large state-owned enterprises.

  What changed. The government included Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan among 64 enterprises targeted by the privatization initiative.

  Aftermath. In December 2020, the government said Rothschild & Co had been retained to advise on selling part of the state's stake. The supplied sources do not confirm whether a sale was completed.

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• 2006Maqsudi ownership claimControversy

  Mansur Maqsudi claimed that The Coca-Cola Company had conspired with the Uzbek government to strip Roz Trading of its majority interest in Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan. No final legal outcome is supplied in the reference material.

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• 2001Investigation involving Roz TradingControversy

  The Uzbek government investigated Roz Trading over alleged financial impropriety, after which Roz Trading's shares in the joint venture were taken over by the state.

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• 2020Coca-Cola Company announces investment in Uzbek bottling joint venture

  The Coca-Cola Company announced a planned $31 million investment to upgrade Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan's bottling facilities.

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• 2020Uzbekistan appoints Rothschild & Co to advise on partial stake sale

  The Uzbek government announced that Rothschild & Co had been retained to manage the sale of part of the state's shareholding in the joint venture.

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1. Coca-Cola Bottlers Uzbekistan