Nestlé India breaks ground on manufacturing plant in Eastern India
Nestlé India expands regional presence and ramps up ready-to-drink coffee strategy to meet rising demand among younger consumers.
INDIA – Nestlé India has laid the foundation for its first manufacturing facility in the eastern part of the country with a new plant in Khurda, Odisha.
The project represents the company’s tenth factory in India and its first in the region. The initial phase of the plant involves an investment of approximately INR 900 crore (US$105.3 million).
The new facility will produce items from Nestlé India’s food division, including its ready-to-cook meals range.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Nestlé India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan emphasized the company’s commitment to sustainable and digitally advanced manufacturing practices.
He highlighted that the Odisha plant would be a fully paperless and digitally managed operation with a strong focus on environmental responsibility and gender diversity.
Nestlé’s investment in Odisha follows a longstanding manufacturing presence across India, beginning with its first site in Punjab in 1961.
The company currently operates factories in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, Goa, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat, where its most recent plant opened in 2021.
The launch of the Khurda facility coincides with Nestlé’s global push to expand its Nescafé Ready-to-Drink (RTD) cold coffee offerings in emerging markets, including India, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Brazil.
These regions have been identified as key growth areas due to their large youth populations, where approximately one-quarter of the demographic is under 25.
Ready-to-drink coffee is the fastest-growing segment in the global coffee market, driven primarily by Gen Z and Millennials seeking convenience and variety.
Nestlé’s Nescafé RTD range includes popular formats such as latte, cappuccino, and mocha, along with flavour options like chocolate and caramel.
The India, MENA, and Brazil launches follow successful rollouts in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Turkey—markets where RTD coffee culture has gained strong traction.
The expansion strategy aims to meet the evolving preferences of consumers looking for cold, on-the-go coffee solutions tailored to fast-paced lifestyles.
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