East Africa Packaging Holdings (EAPH), 100% owned by Atlas, is building a glass bottle manufacturing facility 45km north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The plant will have the capacity to produce around 100m (330ml) bottles per year. Called the "Chaco Project," Atlas has commenced ground clearing at the site, and held a ceremony to commemorate the event. Commissioning of the facility is scheduled for 2018, with full production beginning early 2019. The site is located in an established industrial area that is serviced by excellent road infrastructure, as well as power. Preliminary assessments of potential sources and studies of local mining operations carried out confirm appropriate grades of silica sand and limestone are available in deposits 30km away from the site. Over the last five years, due to increased consumer demand and a young demographic, Ethiopia has been attracting investment from international beverage companies with more than US$ 300m invested to-date. Beer production has been growing at a CAGR of 14.3% over the last 14 years, with an additional 47% capacity currently under construction. The demand for glass bottles is currently met mainly by imports.
