Twisting open an ice-cold bottle of Coca-Cola and hearing the fizz of bubbling carbonation is a shared summer memory for countless people. Yet few know that the story of this "happy water" in Henan has been unfolding for a full 30 years.

In 1996, Zhengzhou Swire Coca-Cola broke ground on its first production line in Zhengzhou High-tech Zone. Thirty years later, a mega-factory covering nearly 200 mu (approx. 13.3 hectares) with an annual capacity exceeding 1 million tonnes has risen in Zhengzhou. It is Henan's first million-ton-level beverage factory, and at the time of its construction, represented Swire Coca-Cola's largest single investment across China.

Looking back, Zhengzhou Swire Coca-Cola's key strategic layouts in Henan have always advanced in lockstep with Henan's industrial transformation and upgrading.

In 1996, when Coca-Cola first invested in Henan, this province was at the threshold of transitioning from an agriculture-based province to an industrialized region, with surging demand for high-end fast-moving consumer goods. Locally bottled Coca-Cola not only filled a market gap to some extent but also brought international beverage production technology and management standards into Henan.

The second factory was built in Luohe in 2010, when Henan's food industry was undergoing a critical shift—evolving from China's "granary" to its "kitchen". As a nationally renowned food city, Luohe urgently needed flagship enterprises to drive industrial chain upgrading. Swire Coca-Cola established one of its largest bottling factories across China back then, which obtained LEED Platinum certification just one year after launch, placing Henan's food and beverage manufacturing among the world's leaders in energy conservation and environmental protection. More importantly, this factory triggered a ripple effect of "attracting new investment through existing investment". One leading enterprise brought in another, and the "wild goose formation effect" of industrial clustering took shape.

In 2025, an intelligent super factory with an annual output capacity topping 1 million tons was completed in Zhengzhou. Nearly 30 digital management systems run through the entire industrial chain. A world-first intelligent robotic picking and sorting solution entered trial operation, and more than 30 energy-saving and carbon-reduction initiatives were rolled out simultaneously.

From one production line to million-tonne capacity, from a small factory with dozens of employees to an intelligent, green super beverage base with fully linked smart operations, this foreign-funded enterprise's 30 years in Henan tells a story of mutual success between a brand and a regional market, and also bears witness to Henan's transformation from a major agricultural province to a modern industrial highland.

Staff from Zhengzhou Swire Coca-Cola told reporters that although most raw materials and packaging supplies are centrally sourced by the group, local Henan suppliers serve as a vital supplementary resource, with both sides maintaining long-term, stable partnerships. This deeply embedded supply chain structure effectively ensures both cost control and response efficiency.

It is these solid, tangible achievements that have encouraged the enterprise to pour continuous capital into Henan. In 2021, amid heightened global economic uncertainty, Swire Coca-Cola still committed over 900 million yuan to construct its new Zhengzhou factory. The enterprise's willingness to invest heavily in Henan is in itself "a vote of confidence" in this local market.

From 1996 to 2026, the Henan story of this "happy water" continues to be written. However, its core message remains unchanged: an enterprise willing to dig deep, and a land willing to open up, will always find a path of mutual prosperity. (DaHe Fortune Cube Reporters: Ding Yangtao, Yang Lei; Translator: Hong Jianyuan)

Web editors: Shen Jianqi, Zhang Rui