Los Portales, a soft drink factory in Cuba located in the province of Pinar del Río, began to package syrup in plastic bags due to a lack of raw materials, a limitation that has "seriously affected" it.
"The new line is dedicated to the production of syrups in bags, which will be intended for tourism facilities and also for retail sales in stores," said Mario Venero, director of the entity, to the official newspaper Granma.
The executive specified that they have already completed a testing phase and that they are now preparing to carry out large-scale production with this new modality.
"We are presenting the three basic flavors that dominate the market. That is, cola, orange, and soda," he noted in statements where he assured that the syrup is already present in bags in some tourism facilities.
According to Venero, the factory has the capacity to produce one million bags annually, which will be available in sizes of five, ten, and 20 liters.
In addition, he assured that they are working on the production of flavored waters, a trend that is highly accepted among tourists, the official added.
"They are very appealing to them because they are more ecological, made from natural concentrates," he pointed out.
The flavors they currently sell are pineapple and apple, although they do not rule out introducing melon soon.
"They are studying markets to incorporate other flavors, as it is a more natural product, and thus try to reduce dependence on carbonated soft drinks," he added.
Production at Los Portales was halted for 100 days due to a lack of carbon dioxide, reports Granma.
They also note that the entity has the capacity to deliver 220 million cans of soda and 60 million bottles annually.
However, the executive believes that the pursuit of new products is a way to maintain the vitality of the factory and to be able to keep its workforce.
The truth is that the shortage of raw materials in Los Portales is not a new phenomenon; rather, it is a carryover from previous years.
The factory has been facing a deficit of basic raw materials since 2018. In 2020, for example, they only produced 112 million plastic bottles, less than half of what was made in 2019, while in 2021, they barely produced 86 million.
In that case, the blame was once again placed on the "blockade" (embargo) by the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, two days after acknowledging that the shortage of sugar had forced them to alter their recipes, Los Portales launched a new Zero Calories line.
On social media, Cubans have criticized the taste of their soft drinks. "It tastes like anything, the closest is like a laxative," they have written.
What do you think?
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