Coke. Visits to the Azeitão factory reopen to mark 45 years in Portugal
How was it slogan “First you get weird, then you get in”, that, in 1927, Coca-Cola tried to take its first steps in the Portuguese market. The phrase was created by the (at the time) illustrious unknown Fernando Pessoa, who then worked at an advertising agency.
The expression would end up going down in history, but at that time neither the campaign would be launched, nor the drink was marketed in Portugal, following the rope by the then director of Saúde de Oliveira Salazar, doctor Ricardo Jorge.
At the time, the Government could not foresee that, despite the security, the brand would even be able to establish itself in Portugal and generate 8800 direct and indirect jobs. And also bring economic advantages to the country, since for every euro spent on Coca-Cola products, 85 cents remain in the Portuguese economy, as revealed to Dinheiro Vivo, the Head of Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability in coke European partners (CCEP), Márcio Cruz.
Coca-Cola entered the lives of the Portuguese in 1977 and to celebrate 45 years in our country, it reopened its circuit of visits to the Azeitão factory to the public. The itinerary has been renewed and the brand wants to make its history known.
“Above all, we want to show that Coca-Cola is produced in Portugal. I think that even today consumers are unaware that the Coca-Cola they drink and the Coca-Cola products they consume in their homes are produced in Portugal”, he says. Mario Cruz. The person in charge especially wants visitors to leave with an awareness of the importance that the brand attaches to environmental issues.
“For another 45 years we need to have companies like Coca-Cola, which is fully aware of what the consumer, the market and the country are and what the market needs. And what our planet also needs”, he stresses, describing The materials that the company uses are 100% recyclable and have a high quality production process. “We are at the forefront and are often pioneers in the way we deal with these sustainability issues”, she guarantees.
These and others presented will be presented in the continuation of the visits to the new circuit. Each trip to the Coca-Cola universe will last approximately 90 minutes and each group will have a maximum of 25 people, in order to guarantee a more comfortable experience, explained Márcio Cruz. Visitors have at their disposal three times (9.30 am, 11.30 am and 2.30 pm) that can be booked at place from the company. Until the end of this year, visits will take place on weekdays. “We want to start in a quiet phase and offer a unique and extraordinary experience that can be repeated on other occasions”, says the person in charge.
Each Tour starts at Jacob Pharmacy, where John Pemberton created the famous Coca-Cola formula in 1886, in the USA. It is Mr Pemberton himself (in hologram) who does the honors at the beginning of the visit and tells how he developed the drink.
From here, visitors can find out when Coca-Cola entered Portugal and the move to Azeitão, in the Setúbal district, where the works on the factory took place in 1977. Work began in 1978, and it is currently the largest bottler the world, in the Coca-Cola system, present in more than 25 countries.
250 people work there and annually more than 250 million liters of beverages are produced. Between residents in Portugal and tourists, CCEP has 37.3 million consumers in the national territory. “One fact that people don’t know is that the factory doesn’t just make Coca-Cola. 90% of what is sold in Portugal is produced at the Azeitão factory”, reveals Márcio Cruz.
Because, in addition to the famous brown drink, CCEP markets 15 other brands, which make up 130 different soft drink options. The person in charge of communication at Coca-Cola European partners also revealed that in Portugal there is a drink that is not found in any other market. Sugar-free Fanta Guaraná, which according to Márcio Cruz has been hugely accepted by Portuguese consumers.
