Szentkirályi brought the production of Pepsi products back to Hungary

Pepsi’s Hungarian history is a finished novel. February 23, 1971 was a historic day in the factory of the Capital Mineral Water and Ice Industry Company: that was when the first Pepsi soft drink made in Hungary rolled off the assembly line. The American brand broke through the Iron Curtain, brought Hungarians a taste of freedom, and has enjoyed unwavering popularity among consumers ever since. After the change of regime, Pepsi built the brand with advertising campaigns featuring international and Hungarian stars or with Pepsi Sziget, but what almost everyone remembers is Kata Dobó and her legendary entrance: “Hi, I’m Kata. Do you have another Pepsi?” The commercial, which has become a favorite of generations, was released by the company in 1998 with Kata Dobó, who was just starting her acting career, and the film immediately “exploded into the public consciousness”.

Times have changed, and in 2014, Pepsi executives decided to take the production of the soft drink out of Hungary after more than forty years. But they didn’t have to wait long for another turning point. Levente Balogh, owner of the market-leading Szentkirályi Ásványvíz, and the Italian Pasquale family, which owns the Mattoni 1873 food industry company, have joined forces with the aim of creating the region’s leading mineral water and soft drink manufacturing group. In 2018, the Pasquale family acquired the distribution rights for Pepsico products in several Central and Eastern European countries, so the rights in Hungary went to Szentkirályi. At that time, Pepsi soft drinks were still brought in from abroad by truck and supplied to the Hungarian market through imports. The latest – positive – twist in the story was announced today.

“Hi Levente! Do you have a Pepsi?” – this is the question posed by Kata Dobó, actor-director, Pepsi icon, and host of the event celebrating today’s Pepsi homecoming, on the stage set up in the Szentkirályi factory hall. At the event, Levente Balogh and Alessandro Pasquale announced that they had brought Pepsi production back to Hungary, and that from now on the vast majority of Pepsi products intended for the Hungarian market will be produced at the Szentkirályi Magyarország plant in Szentkirályi Magyarország. Pepsi’s return home was made possible by the fact that Szentkirályi Magyarország established a new factory and the facilities serving it as part of its investment series launched in 2021. Thanks to this, more than forty new jobs have been created so far, which is important for the people living in the region. But, perhaps even more significant, is the environmental impact due to the investment series. Since Pepsi products were imported from abroad until now, trucks traveled 1.5 million kilometers of soft drinks per year, which is four times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. With the start of production in Hungary, the burden on the environment will be reduced by this much. In addition, the investment was supplemented by the creation of “blue and green” elements in accordance with environmental regulations: water purification units were developed and a protective forest is being planted.

“Kata asked if I had Pepsi. Now I have it.” – began his festive greeting by Levente Balogh, president and owner of Szentkirályi Magyarország Kft. in front of the 120 Hungarian and foreign guests who arrived for the inauguration, including those from Pepsico’s management, and then he spoke about his business philosophy: “For me, entrepreneurship is a real passion. Building a company, creating new values ​​inspires me every day; I cannot and do not want to quit this. And the reward is not only financial success, but also moments like today.”

Alessandro Pasquale, managing director and owner of Mattoni 1873 – business partner of Levente Balogh – praised another positive “turn” in the history of the company group: “Hungary and Szentkirály can be proud that Pepsi has returned here. This investment proves that Szentkirály is capable of producing at world-class standards and can meet the strictest quality requirements expected by global brands.”