The total investment in the new production facility, raw material warehouse, cold storage, syrup plant, and water factory exceeds 28 million euros

The facility will cover an area of 6,310 square meters

One hundred new jobs will be created

Aranđelovac - October 17, 2024 - Knjaz Miloš officially marked the realization of its investment in state-of-the-art technologies today, amounting to over 28 million euros. The ceremony and tour of the new facility were attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić; General Director of the company, Marko Stanković; owner and Executive Chairman of Mattoni, Alesandro Paskvale; Czech Republic Ambassador to Serbia, Jan Bondi, Minister of Economy, Adrijana Mesarović, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade, Tomislav Momirović, and Acting Director of the Development Agency of Serbia, Radoš Gazdić.

The investment encompasses capacity expansion through the construction of a new production hall with two production lines and accompanying facilities. The new hall marks a historic moment for Knjaz Miloš, being the first capacity expansion in several decades. Through this investment, the company expects to double its production capacity with the two new production lines, aiming to become the largest bottler of water and non-alcoholic beverages in this part of Europe.

Knjaz Miloš: Echo of Tradition - Vision for the Future

Marko Stanković, General Director of Knjaz Miloš and Mattoni 1873 for the Western Balkans, stated at the ceremony that they had been waiting for this for 25 years and that they would be doubling their capacity. Stanković recalled that the company's tradition began in 1811 with the discovery of healing springs and industrial production in 1964.

"Today, 60 years later, we place Knjaz Miloš on the map of the largest non-alcoholic beverage factories in Europe. With the new production facility, we begin our company's vision for the future. With a capacity of over 700 million bottles across 11 production lines and the latest technologies, we are effectively doubling our capacity," emphasized Stanković.

He noted that the new facility is the result of the vision of two leaders whose names the company proudly carries: Miloš Stojisavljević, who ten years ago led the transformation of Knjaz from a water producer to a company with a complete portfolio of non-alcoholic beverages, and Mr. Antonio Paskvale, President of the Mattoni Group.

"In addition to our brands, the new factory allows us to market the best global brands from PepsiCo - Pepsi, Pepsi Zero, 7Up, and Mirinda in the region and EU. We thank PepsiCo for recognizing our expertise and commitment. As we close one chapter, we are deepening our roots and becoming an even larger company for our employees, a pride of the local community, and a better partner for our customers, suppliers, and the state," said Stanković.

He highlighted that, with the support of subsidies from the Ministry of Economy and the Development Agency of Serbia, the state provided significant backing for this investment.

Alesandro Paskvale, owner and Executive Chairman of Mattoni, remarked that today marks the largest investment by Knjaz Miloš and that it will become one of the largest non-alcoholic beverage producers in Europe. Paskvale thanked the Republic of Serbia for its support of the investment.

Czech Ambassador to Serbia, Jan Bondi, stated that the success of Knjaz Miloš is guaranteed because it operates on the principle of family. Bondi also expressed gratitude to the Republic of Serbia for its support.

Addressing the ceremonial event, President Vučić expressed his happiness at seeing people in the heart of Šumadija working with enthusiasm, passion, and love for the company. He added that he was pleased that the state could support this investment, which shows how significant Knjaz Miloš is for Aranđelovac. He also noted that the most important project for Aranđelovac and Šumadija is the Karađorđe Highway, and he hopes that construction will begin next summer.

Knjaz Miloš is among the largest producers of mineral water, non-alcoholic, and energy drinks. It is the absolute leader in the sparkling water category with its traditional brand, Knjaz Miloš, while its non-sparkling natural mineral water brand, Aqua Viva, holds a strong second position in the market.

Building on a name and tradition spanning over two centuries, through continuous investment in technologies, constant innovations, and maintaining high product quality, Knjaz Miloš reaffirms its leadership position both in the local market and in the region.

Since 2019, Knjaz Miloš has been part of the Mattoni 1873 group, one of the largest producers and distributors of natural mineral water and non-alcoholic beverages in Central and Eastern Europe, with 3,400 employees, 11 production facilities, and 39 brands. Mattoni 1873 is the exclusive producer and distributor of PepsiCo's non-alcoholic beverage brands.

Photo: TANJUG/VLADIMIR ŠPORČIĆ