With a leading share in the coffee market, which on the retail level reaches around 57% in terms of volume, Nestle continues to grow, having launched new investments in the Loumidis factory in Oinophyta.
The aim of the investment plan is, on the one hand, to balance the energy costs, which have doubled this year for Nestle’s Greek subsidiary, and on the other hand, to expand the raw material storage infrastructure.
Investments of 3 million euros
In particular, as the president and CEO of Nestlé Hellas, Nikos Emmanouilidis, said at an event held yesterday at the company’s coffee factory in Oinophyta, the company is proceeding with an investment program of 3 million euros, which will be added to the investments of 28 million euros which have been realized in the last decade. Of these 13 million euros were invested in the last five years.
The new investments, planned for 2023, concern the creation of a warehouse at the Oinofyta facilities with a storage capacity of 2,000 tons of coffee, as well as the installation of photovoltaic panels in the factory area. The investment in the warehouse is estimated at 2 million euros and that in energy at 1 million euros.
At the same time and despite the adversities (increases in raw material, transportation and energy costs), the company did not freeze the launching of new products, and in fact it has enlisted new products on the market that cover new consumer needs.
Consumption shift
As regards coffee consumption, according to the head of the company, there is a shift in sales from the supermarket to the HoReCa sector and this as consumers have largely returned to their workplaces and the tourism channel has fully opened.
Price hikes
According to Mr. Emmanouilidis, the company through promotional actions seeks to contain the volume reductions.
Nestlé Hellas proceeded with a weighted average price increase of 3% in all coffee categories, when, as its head explained, “price increases in the market range at 4%”. “The 3% appreciation is not nominal since it also includes promotional actions,” he clarified.
Coffee and Sustainable Development
The above was mentioned on the sidelines of the event held by Nestlé on the occasion of the Coffee Day celebration. At the event, the company’s initiatives were presented, which create value for people and the future, focusing on sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation. The specific initiatives concern the entire range of the company’s activities and its products with actions that focus on the recycling or reuse of packaging, the responsible origin of coffee, and its commitment to a zero balance of greenhouse gas emissions, by 2050.
The president and CEO of Nestlé Hellas, Nikos Emmanouilidis, referred to sustainability as the driving force behind the company’s entrepreneurship and innovation: “We plan and build for the long term, act with commitment to our goals and combine our global know-how with our local resources so as to create mutual benefit for society.
At the same time, the manager of the Oinophyta Coffee factory, Sofocles Arvanitidis, spoke about the production activity of the factory and the sustainable practices applied, noting that between 2018 and 2021, Nestle Hellas achieved an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. As he said plans for 2023 include the creation of a photovoltaic park with the aim of further utilizing alternative energy sources.