ACI to invest Tk60cr in fruit drinks business

Advanced Chemical Industries (ACI) PLC has approved an additional equity investment of Tk60 crore in its existing joint venture, ACI CO-RO Bangladesh Ltd, and the formation of a new joint-venture company with Japan’s ICHINEN Holdings Co Ltd.

The new venture will have a proposed paid-up capital of Tk15 crore, taking ACI’s total proposed investment in the two joint ventures to Tk75 crore, subject to approval from the relevant regulatory authority.

The decisions were approved at a meeting of the company’s board of directors held on 28 September, according to separate disclosures posted on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) website on Tuesday. 

The board approved an additional Tk60 crore equity investment in ACI CO-RO Bangladesh Ltd, ACI’s existing joint venture with Danish fruit juice giant CO-RO A/S.

ACI CO-RO Bangladesh Ltd was established in 2019 as a greenfield investment to cater to the market for fruit-based drinks under CO-RO’s brand and quality standards.

In 2024, ACI CO-RO Bangladesh inaugurated its first state-of-the-art factory in Narayanganj, Bangladesh.

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Meanwhile, at the same board meeting, ACI approved the formation of a new joint-venture company with Japan’s ICHINEN Holdings Co Ltd. The proposed company will be named ACI-ICHINEN Bangladesh Ltd.

The new company will have an authorised capital of Tk50 crore and a paid-up capital of Tk15 crore. ACI will hold 60% of the shares in the new venture, subject to approval from the authority concerned.

The joint venture will combine ACI PLC’s local business strength with ICHINEN’s global expertise across three key areas: human resource development and dispatch, motorcycle retail financing, and agriculture.

Meanwhile, ACI shares fell slightly to Tk182 each on the DSE on Tuesday.

In the first nine months of the 2025-26 fiscal year, the company’s turnover reached Tk3,994 crore, up from Tk3,442 crore in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

During the same period, ACI’s profit rose to Tk368 crore from Tk327 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.