Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Ghana) Limited has bought the franchise from D&C Company to bottle Schweppes products in Ghana.

Cocoa-Cola will, therefore, bottle Schweppes bitter lemon, orange and other products that D&C Company bottled before. Mr Seth Asamoah, General Sales Manager of Coca Cola told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on telephone in Accra.

The arrangement follows the conclusion of an international arrangement between the two companies recently. The amount involved was not disclosed.

Coca-Cola is now producing BonAqua, a 1.5-litre bottled mineral water, at D&C located on the Spintex Road in Accra. "What has happened is that we have bought the franchise, that is the name," Mr Asamoah explained.

"But the plant and buildings all belong to the original owners, D&C. Besides it also means that from now on, all products under the name Schweppes belong to the Coca-Cola Company.

"Coca-Cola will now bottle Schweppes in Ghana."

Mr Asamoah said henceforth Schweppes would fall into the Coca Cola brand of soft drinks.

Coca-Cola already has a franchise arrangement with Schweppes of UK.

He said Coca-Cola has put in place a plastic bottling machine that produces the mineral water and pays Schweppes according to the number of bottles produced.

BonAqua adds up to a growing list of locally manufactured mineral water production lines, which includes Voltic, Yes, Aqua Vita, Kakum and Astek Nsu.