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PepsiCo Breaks Ground on a $160 Million Snacks Plant in Kazakhstan

June 20, 2024

Plant for Lays and other chips could be the largest of its kind in Central Asia.

PepsiCo last week broke ground on a $160 million salty snacks plant in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan.

David Manzini, PepsiCo’s president of Central Asia, Russia, Belarus and the Caucasus, who was there for the groundbreaking, told Kazakhstan’s The Astana Times it will be largest of its kind in Central Asia, initially producing 16,000 tons of products annually and creating 350 direct jobs.

Manzini hinted at a second stage expansion that could increase capacity to 21,000 tons by 2027. He noted that PepsiCo received substantial support from the local government in securing land for the investment.

Speaking about the need for local agricultural products, Manzini told The Astana Times, “We will need potatoes to produce our delicious Lay’s potato chips. So, the first stage of production, which will require 15,000 tons, will very quickly require 60,000 tons. We are not using the usual potatoes. We are using specific potatoes with lower starch and lower sugar levels.” For that, PepsiCo’s agricultural team is working with local partner farmers.

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.