New Cachaça Factory in Ceará Innovates by Using Solar Energy and Forecasts Creation of 400 New Jobs

Alcoholic Beverage Company Has Just Opened a New Factory in Ceará, Creating Hundreds of New Jobs. The Unit Is Powered by 90% Solar Energy.

A new factory of Diageo, one of the largest alcoholic beverage companies in the world, has arrived in Ceará, creating various jobs and innovating with the use of solar energy. The company owns brands such as Johnnie Walker whiskey, Smirnoff vodka, and Tanqueray gin. In Brazil, the multinational is making several investments in its cachaça Ypióca, acquired 11 years ago.

Diageo’s Factory Features Over 1,800 Solar Energy Panels

The beverage is being produced at a new factory of the company in Ceará, in the municipality of Itaitinga, metropolitan region of Fortaleza, using the most advanced resources for bottling and distribution. The 1,826 solar energy panels installed at the new factory, which is creating various jobs, have the capacity to generate 931.26 kWp. Furthermore, they are responsible for 90% of the electricity that powers the unit. Sustainability is an essential element of the operation.

The new Diageo factory in Ceará was inaugurated this Monday (3) and was attended by Elmano de Freitas (PT), governor of the state, and a delegation of secretaries, as well as representatives from the state’s business sector.

R$ 250 million was invested in the enterprise, with a direct offer of 400 jobs, where 41% of this team is made up of women. This team will produce, annually, 12 million boxes of nine liters of cachaça.

New Factory in Ceará Is One of the Company’s Most Relevant Investments

The industrial park that uses solar energy covers 90,000 square meters, with 23,000 square meters of built area. According to the company’s president in Brazil, Paula Lindenberg, the company has sustainable initiatives in its new factory, from solar energy to zero waste to landfills, as well as projects that create positive impacts on the surrounding communities, generating jobs and income. The result is one of the most modern and sustainable cachaça production units in operation in the country.

The executive emphasized that the expansion of Diageo’s industrial park is one of the company’s most relevant investments worldwide in the last 10 years. Present in over 180 countries, the company experienced a global sales increase of 9%.

In Latin America, this percentage reached 22%. According to Paula Lindenberg, the country is a strategic market for the company. With a tradition spanning nearly two decades, Ypióca, from Ceará, is one of the best-known brands in Brazil and, according to Lindenberg, leads the competitive premium cachaça market.

Low Environmental Impact

The innovations and low environmental impact of the new factory of the company in Itaitinga, Ceará, were extensively highlighted during the inauguration of the unit, which created various jobs. In addition to using solar energy as the basis for generating electricity for the operations of the complex, there will be the use of logistical equipment with lithium batteries.

According to those responsible for the new factory, the electricity savings generated by the solar panels have the capacity to power 800 homes. LED lights will also be used throughout the park.

The expansion of the unit in Itaitinga will allow the company, which established itself in Ceará with the purchase of Ypióca, created in the 19th century, to expand its operations with other labels from the brand. Currently, the multinational giant offers 43 cachaça products, all produced from the complex in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza.