Coca-Cola has acquired Nigeria’s Chi Ltd, the maker of Chivita juice and dairy brand Hollandia. Chivita is a category-king brand which actually knocked out Five-Alive brand in Nigeria. It has the best advertising model in the nation and continues to deepen its “freshness”.
Yet, in the short history of FMCG in Nigeria, when multinationals acquire our local brands, those brands rarely survive. I am hoping that Coca-Cola will deliver a different result with Chi. Chi Ltd has been in business since 1980 and has actually done well despite the challenging operating environments.
North and south, this is something to celebrate because it means from Atlanta USA, many still believe in Nigeria despite whatever CNN is breaking now as hard news on the nation.
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The Coca-Cola Company today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Chi Ltd. in Nigeria. Coca-Cola first announced a minority investment in Chi three years ago and, as planned, has now acquired full ownership of the company.
Chi is recognized in West Africa as an innovative, fast-growing leader in expanding beverage categories, including juices, value-added dairy and iced tea. The company, founded in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1980, produces juice under the Chivita brand and value-added dairy under the Hollandia brand, among many other products. Coca-Cola acquired a 40 percent stake in Chi in 2016 from Tropical General Investments Group, the holding company for Chi Ltd. Juices and value-added dairy categories rank among the fastest-growing beverage segments in Nigeria and Africa.
This acquisition further signals Coca-Cola’s optimism about Africa’s consumer opportunity and a commitment to its long-term investment and growth plan on the continent, where it has been present for more than 90 years.
“Coca-Cola is continuing to evolve as a total beverage company, and Chi’s diverse range of beverages perfectly complements our existing portfolio, enabling us to accelerate expansion into new categories and grow our business in Africa,” said Peter Njonjo, president of the West Africa business unit of Coca-Cola. “We will support the Chi management team in building on the company’s remarkable heritage and achievements, while using the scale of the Coca-Cola system to replicate their success in more markets across Africa.”
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