The £13m investment comes at the same time as the tortilla chip brand celebrates its 30th birthday, with the current Dorito line to be replaced with a new and improved one.
Coventry has been the home of Doritos since the brand launched in the UK in 1994 and over the last 30 years, the tortilla chips have cemented themselves as a firm British favourite.
Almost a third of UK households now buy Doritos, with sales totalling £273m in the last year, and retail sales increasing more than 20% in the last two.
PepsiCo’s Coventry site is Europe’s largest tortilla chip factory, and as well as being home to Doritos in the UK, it is also where Wotsits, French Fries, Squares and Sunbites are made.
In the UK, Doritos core bold flavours include Cool Original, Tangy Cheese and Chilli Heatwave, but the Coventry site also manufacturers its Doritos Dippers which last year became the first Doritos product to classify as non-HFSS.
Work to install the replacement line will begin in August, with the organisation saying improvements will be made at every stage of the production process, from corn washing and milling, to cutting, cooking and seasoning.
The new line will also aid the site’s efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by more than 700 tonnes a year.
The funds have already been used to complete renovations across staff facilities at Coventry, which houses 700 employees. This stretches across improved working spaces, new changing rooms and training centre, as well as a fully refurbished on-site restaurant.
The new training centre has been kitted out with replica equipment, offering team members the chance to develop skills off the factory floor.
“We’ve been perfecting the tortilla chip here in Coventry for the past three decades, and I’m proud of our role in helping to build a loyal Doritos fanbase and make the brand a household name in the UK,” commented Layla Whiting, manufacturing director for PepsiCo. “This investment marks our commitment to the teams who have played such a key role in Doritos’ success over the years, and to our home in Coventry as we celebrate our 30th birthday.”
These updates follow last year’s £58m injection into its Walkers site in Leicester which saw a new manufacturing line, packaging equipment and an upgrade to its on-site facilities. These works have now completed, including a new oven powered by 100% renewable electricity, which will see 1,000 tonnes of GHG emissions cut annually.
This now brings PepsiCo’s total UK manufacturing investments to more than £140m.
In other news, there have been a number of new UK food listings, including a six-figure deal for a Scottish seaweed crisps brand.
