The proposed Wardha beverage plant has moved forward with a memorandum of understanding between Varun Beverages Ltd and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation for a Rs 2,100 crore manufacturing facility in Arvi, with groundbreaking planned for April 2027 and 550 direct jobs expected.
The MoU was signed by officials of Varun Beverages and MIDC in the presence of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday, according to information provided by the chief minister’s office. The facility is planned across about 125 acres of MIDC land and is expected to be completed within two years.
Varun Beverages, part of the RJ Corp group, is one of PepsiCo’s largest franchise bottlers outside the United States. Its operations cover carbonated soft drinks, juices, sports drinks and packaged drinking water. The proposed Arvi plant is also expected to include production of dairy products, packaged snacks and bottles, according to details shared by Arvi BJP MLA Sumit Wankhede, who attended the MoU signing.
Wankhede said the facility could be the company’s largest plant in India by investment. He said the proposal includes annual production capacity of 50 million cases of soft drinks, 15 million cases of packaged water, 15,000 tonnes of snacks and 30,000 tonnes of dairy products. The company has also proposed manufacturing bottles at the site, which Wankhede described as a first for its operations.
The project’s proposed location has been linked to its road and market access. The site is a few kilometres from the Samruddhi Expressway, which can connect the facility to markets in Mumbai, central India and Nashik. Wankhede also said the route could eventually provide access to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority for export-oriented products.
The proposed plant is expected to create demand for raw materials from nearby areas, with potential implications for farmers, transport operators and small industries in the region. However, the information released so far establishes the investment proposal, land requirement, production plans and expected direct employment, while the final construction and commissioning schedule will depend on the project’s implementation.
Local representatives had been encouraging Varun Beverages to consider Arvi for about four months, while company officials also examined locations in Nagpur district before selecting MIDC land in Wardha. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for April 2027, and the facility is expected to be completed in two years.
