< PreviousCompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsEmpresas Ica, S.A.B. De C.V. Ciudad Madero Mexico 1,000 Grupo Idesa, S.A. De C.V. Coatzacoalcos Mexico 914 Paramount Trading Jamaica Ltd. Kingston Jamaica 500 Petróleos Mexicanos Mexico City Mexico 274 Ase US Inc. Campinas Brazil 200 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017Top Cities 1 Campinas Metro Area, Brazil 2 Rio de Janeiro Metro Area, Brazil 2 Pindamonhangaba, Brazil 2 San José-Heredia Metro Area, Costa RicaLATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEANENERGY Energy exploration and production is forecast by the Brazilian Development Bank to directly and indirectly account for 13 percent of GDP and 55% of industrial investment during the period 2015-2018. Source: Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute58 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E SENERGYCompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsDangote Oil Refining Co. Ltd. Lagos Nigeria 12,000 2,000Bahman Geno Co. Shahrestan-e Jask Iran 10,000 Intel Jerusalem Israel 6,000 Saudi Arabian Oil Co. Riyadh Saudi Arabia 5,333 650Kangan Petro Refining Co. Shahrestan-e `Asaluyeh Iran 3,600 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017Top Cities 1 Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman Metro Area, UAE 1 Cape Town, South Africa 3 Casablanca Metro Area, Morocco 3 Mombasa, Kenya 3 Abu Dhabi, UAE 3 Dammam Metro Area, Saudi Arabia 3 Luanda, AngolaAFRICA & MIDDLE EASTKnown for its 2.8-million-barrel-per-day oil output, the UAE is not only diversifying into renewables such as solar, but building out nuclear power too: Four new South Korean-designed nuclear reactors, at 1,400 MW each, are due to become operational by 2020. Sources: UAE Government; UAE Ministry of Energy and Industry’s Statistical Energy and Water Report 2017, September 2018Four new South Korean-designed nuclear reactors, at 1,400 MW each, are due to become operational by 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 59F OOD & BEVER AGEhen ike astle of entuckybased global animal feed and nutrition fi rm lltech spoke to ite election in he noted how many of his companys operations were in the heartland regions where beef cattle and the grain supply overlap. ose belts encompass several of this report’s top North American food & beverage metros, beginning with No. 1 Chicago.But, Castle said, it’s the other side of the globe where the belt of opportunity is wide: “China for us is the number one feed output market in the world,”he said, noting dozens of cities larger than Chicago (population 9.5 million) in China. at holds true for two of the top three Asia Pacifi c cities in our rankings: No. 1 Suzhou (pop. 10.6 million) and No. 3 Chengdu (pop. 14.4 million).“ ere is a growing talent pool in those areas, and a lot of people fi nd those cities much less expen-sive than Beijing or Hong Kong,” said Castle, who says smaller Chinese cities of under 1 million “will continue to outgrow some of the major cities, and that quality of life will become more important to Chinese citizens.” e Vietnamese cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi (each with populations around 8 million) also appear in our Asia Pacifi c rankings. e 2018 Alltech Global Feed Survey reports that the AsiaPacifi c region accounts for more than 35 percent of the world’s feed tonnage.“It’s no secret — parts of South and Southeast Asia are looking very strong, growing and im-proving,” Castle said. at includes places such as Cambodia. “And some, given the media attention in Europe and the U.S., might catch people a little off guard, like Russia,” he said. Moscow ranks No. 3 in our Eastern Europe rankings.Other cities that are cultural as well as political and industrial capitals do well: Lima, Peru; Dubai; Riga, Latvia; Mariel, Cuba; and Cork, Ireland, a cuisine destination some credit with spearheading the Irish food revolution.Wait … Cuba? Yes, the development zone in and around the Port of Mariel is cultivating its own cluster as tourism grows. Among the recent invest-ments was a $55-million investment in a snack and beverage plant there by Nestle. e next place for F&B is Africa, where poultry and dairy feed grew by 10 percent in 2017. Two UAE cities lead our Africa & Middle East rankings, but Nairobi, Harare and Cairo fi ll out the top fi ve. African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, speaking at the USDA’s Agriculture Out-look Forum in February 2018, said agriculture is “a huge wealth-creating sector that is primed to unleash new economic opportunities that will lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.“ e size of the food and agriculture market in Africa will rise to US$1 trillion by 2030,” he said.“ ink of a continent brimming with 840 mil-lion youth, the youngest population in the world,by 2050.” at is the same year the UN projects the world population will hit 9.7 billion, up from 7.6 billion in 2017. Wherever F&B companies land, amidst a world of dwindling water and other resources, they will be looking to satisfy those billions’ hunger and slake their thirst.60 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E STop Cities 1 Cork Metro Area, Ireland 2 London Metro Area, UK 3 Birmingham (West Midlands Metro Area), UK 4 Dublin Metro Area, Ireland5 Northampton, UKCompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsNestle Holdings (U.K.) PLC Tutbury United Kingdom 468 425Nestlé Nespresso SA Romont Switzerland 308 125Danone Cuijk Netherlands 262 Arla Foods Aylesbury United Kingdom 256 700Campofrio Food Group, Sociedad Anonima Burgos Spain 253 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017FOOD & BEVERAGEWESTERN EUROPEThe National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE) at She eld Hallam University will be a £10.6M new R&D facility that integrates innovation in food processing, packaging, handling, storage and distribution equipment with techniques in food engineering and automation, further supporting the UK government’s “Northern Powerhouse” economic strategy for Wales and the North of England. 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 61FOOD & BEVERAGECompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsToo 'Bio-Produkt.Kz' Almaty Kazakhstan 4,523 Ushtobe-Aydin. LLP Ushtobe Kazakhstan 1,335 Banner Infant Dairy Products Co., Ltd. Ryazan' Russia 1,000 Th Food Chain Joint Stock Co. Moscow Russia 500 Diana Shebekino Russia 300 20Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017Top Cities 1 Riga Metro Area, Latvia 2 Lodz Metro Area, Poland 3 Moscow Metro Area, RussiaEASTERN EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIAFood and beverage production is the largest industrial sector in Latvia, producing around 23% of the total output in manufacturing in 2017, accounting for 20% of the sector’s total jobs and producing output worth €1.6B in 2016. SOURCE: INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF LATVIA (LIAA)62 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E SFOOD & BEVERAGEASIA PACIFICTop Cities 1 Suzhou Metro Area, China 1 Ho Chi Minh City Metro Area, Vietnam 3 Chengdu, China 4 Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley Metro Area, Malaysia 5 Hanoi Capital Region, VietnamCompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsHuzhou Laohenghe Co., Ltd. Huzhou China 811 Sbm Group GmbH Ahmedabad India 733 Herun Group Co., Ltd. Beihai China 655 Luzhou Laojiao Group Co., Ltd. Luzhou Shi China 540 Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. Keihanshin Major Japan 504 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017The Asia-Pacifi c region accounts for more than 35% of the world’s feed tonnage, and China remained the No. 1 feed producing country in the world in 2017 with 186.86 million metric tons (17%). SOURCE: 2018 ALLTECH GLOBAL FEED SURVEY 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 63NORTHAMERICAFOOD & BEVERAGECompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsCargill, Inc. Memphis, TN-MS-AR United States 661 163Darling International Hamilton, ON Canada 645 Molson Coors Brewing Co. Montréal, QC Canada 500 Pabst Brewing Co. LLC Los Angeles, CA United States 403 328Roquette America, Inc. Portage la Prairie, MB Canada 400 150Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017Top Cities 1 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, USA 2 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, USA 3 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, USA 4 Austin-Round Rock, TX, USA 5 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO, USAWelcoming HQ moves from such companies as Smoothie King, Pei Wei and Jamba Juice as well as manufacturing projects from the likes of Golden States Foods and Pegasus Foods, Dallas-Fort Worth is home to more than 15,000 food industry establishments accounting for nearly 370,000 jobs.64 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E SCHICAGO, ILUSAPHOTO: GETTY IMAGESSECTOR LEADER IN:hicago’s downtown continues to attract and retain the world’s top businesses. Currently, twelve Fortune 500 com-panies are headquartered in Chicago, with many more operating large corporate offi ces. In 2017, there were 65 new project or expansion announcements within the city, with an associated 4,200 new jobs and more than $277 million in capital investment. Over the past decade, Chicago’s West Loop/Fulton Market area has developed into a vibrant neighborhood. e area’s vivid ambiance, walk-ability and access to public transportation have made it a prime location for corporate offi ces. Recently, companies like Google, Motorola and Mead Johnson relocated to the West Loop, in-creasing the population of young professionals and making the region more attractive for other fi rms. McDonald's opened its new $250-million HQ in June 2018, returning to the city after nearly 50 years in suburban Oak Brook, after renovating space formerly occupied by Harpo Studios (where the Oprah Winfrey Show was taped). Walgreens announced it will relocate its HQ in a renovated space within Chicago’s Old Post Offi ce. Com-bined, the West Loop and Fulton Market captured 63 percent of Chicago’s recent corporate offi ce relocations. Chicago has been asserting its position as a leading technology cluster, targeting possible expansions by some of the world’s largest compa-nies. Among them, cloud provider Service Now recently announced that its fi rst U.S. research center outside of the West Coast will be set up in Chicago, drawing on the city’s top talent pool. e Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) produced nearly 86,000 graduates (bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D.) in 2016, nearly 10 percent of whom graduated with degrees in computer science, engineering or math. A signifi cant number of graduates from Chicago colleges and universities remain in the area. e I-90 corridor connecting Chicago with O'Hare International Airport and the northwest-ern suburbs presents global appeal for manufactur-ing companies. Within quick reach from O’Hare (second busiest in the U.S.) and connected to downtown and the suburbs via mass transit rail, the area off ers companies an opportunity to ship goods and supplies smoothly, remain easily accessi-ble for clients and employees, and showcase their operation. e I-80 corridor to the southwest of Chicago (to Joliet) is a hub for intermodal facility development. ere are 99 intermodal facilities in Illinois (third-most of all states) — nearly all of which are in the Greater Chicago area. Martin PolivkaEY Indirect Tax, Credits & Incentives Katie Ballard-Bloomfi eld EY Quantitative Economics and Statistics 1st1st1st2nd1st2nd1st3rd1st1st1st41.8781° N 87.6298° Welev. 578 ft.CSTUTC-6 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 65FOOD & BEVERAGECompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsConstellation Brands, Inc. Mexicali Mexico 1,500 Grupo Bafar, S.A.B. De C.V. La Piedad Cavadas Mexico 650 5,000Grupo Viz, S.A. De C.V. Tlahualilo de Zaragoza Mexico 572 3,552Arca Continental, S.A.B. De C.V. Corrientes Argentina 420 300Heineken N.V. Sesquile Colombia 400 1,000Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017Top Cities 1 Municipio de Mariel, Cuba 2 Kingston, Jamaica 2 Lima Metro Area, Peru 4 Guayaquil, Ecuador 4 Bogota Metro Area, Colombia 4 San José-Heredia Metro Area, Costa Rica 4 Buenos Aires Metro Area, ArgentinaLATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEANLed by a manufacturing sector that includes food and beverage, Baja California — home to both Tijuana & Mexicali — recorded the highest rate of economic growth of any Mexican state in 2017, at 12.44 percent — 6 times the national rate. SOURCE: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY AND STATISTICS (INEGI)66 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E SFOOD & BEVERAGETop Cities 1 Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman Metro Area, UAE 2 Abu Dhabi, UAE 3 Nairobi Metro Area, Kenya 4 Harare Metro Area, Zimbabwe 4 Cairo Metro Area, EgyptCompany Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsGreen Arava Ltd. Malindi Kenya 4,500 Cevital Groupe SPA Cote d'Ivoire 1,027 Al Ghurair Group Cairo Egypt 450 Shree Basaveshwar Sugars Limited/Gammon Group Jazan Saudi Arabia 400 400Al Ghurair Group Minya Egypt 370 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST“Over the past fi ve years, the UAE food and beverage market has grown 22% from $10.8B in 2013 to a projected $13.2B in 2018. The upcoming 2020 Expo in Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s Vision 2030 diversifi cation plans are fostering ongoing investment.” — Aaron Allen & Associates global restaurant consultancy, May 2018 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 67Next >