Arca Continental subsidiary Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages (CCSWB) has held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new $250 million distribution and production facility in Houston.

The site will be the first dedicated Coca-Cola bottling plant constructed in the US in a decade, and Arca Continental estimates that the new plant will be finished in the first-quarter of 2020.

Arca Continental announced that it would build the new site in May 2018, and the one-million-square-foot facility will include five new production lines, which will produce bottles and cans of Coca-Cola.

Francisco Garza Egloff, CEO of Arca Continental said: “Since April 2017, when we integrated CCSWB into Arca Continental, we have focused our efforts on strengthening a sound growth platform for our customers, consumers, associates and communities.

“The projected investment for this facility reflects our long-term commitment with the values of our organisation, such as customer-centric market service, operational excellence, social responsibility and sustainability.”

Mark Schortman, president and CEO of Coca-Cola Southwest Beverage added: “Coca-Cola has been a part of the greater Houston community for more than 100 years.

“Since opening our first facility in 1902, consumer dynamics have changed and the population in the Houston metro area has increased tremendously. We need to expand and grow our production facility to invest in the future and provide our wide variety of beverages.”