Indian billionaire Ravi Jaipuria is accelerating his expansion across Africa after opening a $40 million snacks, juice, and dairy manufacturing complex in Zimbabwe, deepening his footprint in one of the continent’s fastest-growing consumer markets.
The new facilities, launched through Varun Beverages, include a Cheetos manufacturing plant and a juice and dairy blend production facility, marking another major investment push by the Pepsi bottling giant in Southern Africa.
The deal, finalised in April after regulatory approvals, forms part of a broader strategy by the company to deepen its African presence as domestic growth in India slows due to weather-related disruptions and changing consumption trends.
The company has also expanded into Central Africa. In June 2025, Varun Beverages RDC SAS launched construction of a $50 million Pepsi bottling plant in the Kiswishi Special Economic Zone near Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to serve the wider Haut-Katanga region.
Billionaire’s consumer empire expands
