Charlotte, N.C.-based Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated announced a $10 million investment in its Baltimore manufacturing plant, located at 701 North Kresson St. Mayor Catherine Pugh joined company officials on a tour of the production center to learn more about the investment and manufacturing processes at the facility.

Coca-Cola Consolidated took over operations in Baltimore from Coca-Cola Refreshments on April 29, 2016. It then renovated the 154,000-square-foot manufacturing center and made significant improvements to the site, it says. The company also upgraded one of the canning lines to include 7.5-ounce and 12-ounce ‘sleek’ can products in the production lineup. Currently, the Baltimore manufacturing center primarily makes 12-ounce canned carbonated soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite and caffeine-free Diet Coke.

“We are proud to celebrate Coca-Cola Consolidated’s investment in the Baltimore community,” said Pugh in a statement. “Any time a company invests and expands its operations here, it encourages job creation and the kind of economic development that will bring prosperity to the city.”

The Baltimore production facility currently employs 112 people, with more than 490 teammates in the wider Baltimore region. Coca-Cola Consolidated has a total of 10 facilities and more than 1,720 employees in Maryland.

“Coke Consolidated is proud to invest in and serve the people of Baltimore. This investment reinforces our commitment to our Baltimore teammates and to providing this community the best beverages in the world,” Coca-Cola Consolidated Plant Manager Reshawn Lowe said in a statement.

Coca-Cola has a long history in Baltimore, with the production plant celebrating its 50th anniversary last year, it says. BI