MEETING THE EXPECTATIONS
TBY talks to Roberto Mercadé, President of Coca-Cola, on plant-based beverages, female empowerment, and digitizing Coca-Cola.
BIOGRAPHY
Roberto Mercadé has 22 years of international general management and operational system experience at Coca-Cola. In South Africa, he was General Manager of South Africa Franchise and Commercial operations. In addition, he led South Africa’s company-owned manufacturing facilities, Coca-Cola Canners, and Valpre Water. Prior to that, served as the General Manager for the Venezuela & Caribbean Franchise Unit. He has a degree in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.What major challenges and accomplishments did the company have in 2017?
Talking about Colombia, even though it was a challenging year, there were many things that we can be proud of. For example, we had our 90th anniversary here last year and we continue to become a complete beverage company. In our search to do so, we were able to add AdeS to our portfolio, which is plant-based and is part of our efforts to expand our portfolio beyond sparkling beverages. Moreover, we are listening to our regional consumers about their needs. Through this, we have been able to reformulate about 67% of our portfolio to provide our consumers with better tasting products with lower calorie content.
What's the importance of the Colombian market for Coca-Cola?
As the third-most populous country in the region, it is an important market for us, and we have a lot of expectations for it. We want to grow in double digits here for the foreseeable future—that is what we are working on. We decided to move a significant chunk of our headquarters to Colombia for that reason. From the marketing side, 2018 is a World Cup year, and Colombia and football are synonymous. Thus, 2018 is about Coke, the World Cup, and all the passion that comes along. We are also working on the social and the environmental front. For the former, we are consolidating our social programs to focus on women's economic empowerment. We recently launched a program called “Emprendamos juntas," which aspires to economically empower 5,000 women with small shops in cities like Barranquilla, Cartagena, Valledupar, and Montería. Since these are mostly rural areas, we will invest an extra USD1 million to ensure that our plan follows through. On the environmental front, we accomplished what we set out to do two years ago, which was to return every drop of water we used in our products. Today, we are what we call “water neutral" and that has been confirmed by third party audits.
Can you tell us more about the acquisition of AdeS?
AdeS is a plant-based beverage brand that stands for “alimentos de semilla" (foods from seeds) and is a strong player in the market that originally started with soy-based beverages. Now, given consumer changes, almond is a big player within the portfolio. This is an exciting venture for Coca-Cola, and we are expecting it to be as successful as our Del Valle juices acquisition.
Can you tell us more about your initiative to reduce sugar in your beverages?
The most important aspect for a company is to listen to its consumers. We launched a no-sugar Coke after five years of hard work. Under the leadership of our new CEO, we want to become a company that's comfortable with trying new things. That's why he says that if you're not making mistakes, you're probably not trying hard enough.
How do you see the short-term market for Coca-Cola?
Latin America is arguably the most successful region in the world for the company. Given that the continent's history has not always been stable, our ability to create a tremendous business gives us tremendous hope for Colombia. We have high expectations for the foreseeable future, despite whatever road-bumps there may be.
What are your goals for 2018?
We would like to achieve double-digit growth over a sustained period of time. Given the digitalization of our communities, we want our consumers to have our product one click away. Thus, not only do we have plans to continue to expand our distribution on a national basis, we also have to play an important role in the digital world.
MEETING THE EXPECTATIONS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guest Speaker
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, Canada
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Juan Gabriel Pérez, Executive Director, Invest in Bogotá
TBY talks to Juan Gabriel Pérez, Executive Director of Invest in Bogotá, on rounding a turning point, the opportunities for foreign investment in infrastructural PPPs, and finding the perfect investors for adding value on a local scale.
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Patricia Tovar, Executive Director, Colombian British Chamber of Commerce (Britcham)
TBY talks to Patricia Tovar, Executive Director of Colombian British Chamber of Commerce (Britcham), on finding new strategies in trying times, supporting Colombians investing in the UK, and the rising importance of ecotourism.
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Orlando Velandia Sepúlveda, President, Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH)
TBY talks to Orlando Velandia Sepúlveda, President of Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH), on Tax Refund Certificates, developing pedagogical programs, and the Territorial Strategy of Hydrocarbons.
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Diego León Vélez Velásquez, General Manager, Ingeniería y Gestión Administrativa (IGGA)
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Iván Herrera, Vice President , Business Solutions and Government of Huawei Colombia
TBY talks to Iván Herrera, Vice President of Business Solutions and Government of Huawei Colombia, and Cao Wei, Country Manager of Consumer Business Group of Huawei Colombia, on their growth plans for the country.
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Carlos Alberto García Montes, General Director, National Institute of Roads (INVIAS)
TBY talks to Carlos Alberto García Montes, General Director of the National Institute of Roads (INVIAS), on developing Colombia's road networks, linking intermodal transport, and establishing private partnerships.
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María del Carmen Araujo Grijalva, Executive President, Hidalgo e Hidalgo (HeH) Colombia
TBY talks to María del Carmen Araujo Grijalva, Executive President of Hidalgo e Hidalgo (HeH) Colombia, on contributing to productivity and growth in Colombia, working closely with local communities, and areas of opportunity.
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Santiago José Castro Agudelo, Rector, Universidad La Gran Colombia
TBY talks to Santiago José Castro Agudelo, Rector of Universidad La Gran Colombia, on providing first-rate affordable education, constantly innovating whilst remaining true to one's values, and changing Colombia's risk-adverse culture.
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Andres Hernandez, General Manager, Mareauto Colombia S.A.S,
TBY talks to Andres Hernandez, General Manager of Mareauto Colombia S.A.S, AVIS Colombia, on outgrowing the market by legions, providing customers with an unforgettable experience, and offering a timeless premium service.
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City of Gold
Colombia's regulatory policies are generally regarded as welcoming to foreign investment, as seen by the World Bank's 2018 Doing Business report, which ranked the country's business environment 59th globally. Chief among the country's appeal to foreign investors are its stable political and economic system, rich natural resources, and geographically important location at the crossroads of two oceans and continents.
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