With almost a decade of experience in this market behind you, what would you say to a new investor in Serbia today?
– From the perspective of a multinational company that has been operating in the Western Balkans since 2008, the best advice I can share is our experience and the PepsiCo business philosophy Performance with Purpose.
With the acquisition of Marbo Product, PepsiCo added Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to the list of 200 countries in which it operates, with which it also added to its rich portfolio local brands Chipsy, Clipsy, Pardon and Gud, which had then already built their own market positions.
Over time, with the strength and expertise of the multinational PepsiCo company, our brands solidified their positions among the leaders in their categories.
Also becoming part of this multinational company where the production units in Maglić, in the municipality of Bački Petrovac, and in Laktaši in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Again thanks to the strength, expertise and support of this global company, our production facilities were additionally modernised, and today on the territory of the Western Balkans we set high standards in the production of snacks.
By applying these standards, our production facilities can now be compared to any PepsiCo production facility anywhere in the world.
Observed from the perspective of our experience, Serbia has definitely long since been an attractive investment destination
Another very important element of our operations are our suppliers, local collaborators capable of responding to our demands regarding the production of three exclusive PepsiCo varieties of potato, but also in the amount of up to 35,000 tonnes, which is how much we buy annually.
And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, are people. Today our company employs 1,300 hardworking and dedicated people, more than 500 of whom are employed at the factory in Maglić. We constantly emphasise how proud we are of them and their work, which contributes to our company achieving significant performance results on a daily basis.
They are our most valuable investment and every investment in their education, motivation and advancement have had manifold impacts on the company’s successes.
I believe that the quality of the workforce, good local suppliers, as well as the existing infrastructure, but also even attractive local companies or brands, represent additional reasons for Serbia to be recognised as an attractive investment destination. And observed from the perspective of our experience, Serbia has definitely long since already been that.