PepsiCo plans expansion of salty snacks plant in Kazakhstan
With a production capacity of up to 16,000 tonnes of goods annually, including Lay’s snacks, the facility was initially scheduled to open in 2026 and increase to 21,000 tonnes in 2027.
KAZAKHSTAN – Pepsico is currently building a salty snack manufacturing facility in Kazakhstan with the goal of more than tripling its production capacity.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, plans call for PepsiCo to double its overall investment by starting a second phase of the project.
According to the ministry, the company met with Kazakh government representatives in Astana on May 20 to launch the new project phase.
The project’s first phase, which was announced in June 2024 and is already underway with a US$160 million initial investment, aims for building a salty snack plant in the Almaty region of southeast Kazakhstan, close to the borders of China and Kyrgyzstan.
After the second phase is completed in 2027, the factory will be able to process up to 210,000 tons of potatoes, up from 50,000 to 66,000 tonnes at the beginning, and produce roughly 70,000 tons of product yearly.
The Almaty salty snack mill is one of PepsiCo’s biggest investments in Central Asia and the first of its kind, according to David Manzini, president for Russia, Belarus, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
“Launching a greenfield project of this scale in such a short time frame is only possible with strong support from national and local authorities, and we deeply appreciate it,” said Manzini.
According to Manzini, PepsiCo has already inked supply agreements with 15 potato farms in Kazakhstan as part of its local sourcing plan.
The start of production is planned for the spring of 2026. According to the ministry, PepsiCo is aggressively integrating Kazakh farmers into the supply chain and plans to transition entirely to locally cultivated chip-grade potatoes by 2035.
“We see PepsiCo’s projects as a significant contribution to the development of Kazakhstan’s processing industry. Increasing value-added production, advancing contract farming and developing export-ready products align with our national strategic priorities. The government is ready to provide comprehensive support for the continued implementation of the company’s investment plans,” said Alibek Kuantyrov, deputy minister of foreign affairs for Kazakhstan.
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