Visit to the heart of the world's favourite drink !
Have you ever wondered about the story behind your favourite fizzy drink?
Recently, I had the opportunity to explore the most loved beverage company and the experience was nothing short of mesmerising. Join me as I take you on a virtual tour of my visit to the heart of this iconic beverage giant who have mastered the art of mass productions and distribution to over 200 countries globally.
As myself and our Digitization specialist Priyadharshini stepped through the doors of the company, a sense of excitement and nostalgia filled the air. The lobby itself was a sign to the company's rich history as I witnessed advertisements, iconic bottle designs, and evolution of the brand over the years.
After the safety protocols were done, we were allowed inside and met the manager of the company. We had a deep discussion about our product and how to effectively implement our solution in the plant. My colleague Priyadharshini who is a package of talents and ideas nailed the show. The manager and the production head were very engaging throughout the discussion which made the session effective.
We were taken to witness the production of the favourite beverage of the century. The kid inside me was jumping as the vintage product’s production was there in front and it was an eye-catching moment and took me to a scene where I had it with cheesy pizza.
We were explained about the preparations, ingredients which includes addition of preservatives, stabilisers and flavour enhancers. This is done to assure consistent quality and give it a longer shelf life.
Production Process
The production process was broken down to mixing, carbonation, bottling, filtering, filler process and quality control. Travel with me to the world of most favourite beverage production.
Mixing
The First stage was Mixing of ingredients, the tasty syrup after mixing was transferred to large mixing tanks where it got blended with water to create the final mixture and stirred constantly.
Carbonation
The second stage was Carbonation where carbon dioxide is added to the mixture to create iconic fizz . Once it is carbonated effectively, it is ready for bottling.
Bottling
Bottling process is a highly automated one, initially the bottles are cleaned and sanitised before they are filled.
Filling
Next comes the filling process which was the most eye catchy process, it was done in apt measurement and tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
I was able to witness that the process is done in a very systematic and hygienic way as the samples are often taken i.e in every production process the syrup’s quality and consistency is tested inorder to avoid any error . The bottles are then sent for pressure tests to ensure whether it can withstand the pressure from carbonation.
Capping and Labelling
After the drinks are poured into the bottles, they head over to the capping station. There, they put caps on the bottles to keep the liquid inside safe and sound. They make sure the caps are sealed tight so nothing spills out and nothing unwanted gets in.
So, once those bottles are all capped up, it's label time! They stick the cool labels onto the bottles which contain the brand name, logo, ingredients used, manufacturing date and expiry date.
Packaging
Once capped and labelled, the bottles are grouped into packaging units, such as 6-packs or 12-packs, and placed in cases. The units vary in size, from individual bottles to multi-packs. These cases are then stacked on pallets for transportation.
Palletizing
Then comes the palletizing process where boxes are then loaded onto pallets. Pallets are large platforms designed to hold multiple units of packaged products. So, instead of hauling one box at a time, they load up these pallets with stacks of boxes, making it way easier to move lots of stuff around all at once.
Quality Checks
Before the products are shipped out, another round of quality checks might be performed. This ensures that the final packaged products meet all quality and safety standards.
Distribution
Once the packaged products pass quality control checks, they are ready for distribution. Pallets of products are loaded onto trucks that will take them to distribution centres, warehouses, and ultimately, retail locations.
And that's a wrap on the industry visit! We soaked up a bunch of knowledge and this is one of the experiences I’ll cherish, reminding myself that behind every sip of the drink is a blend of history and dedication of countless individuals.
Visit to the heart of the world's favourite drink !