10 July 2026 Merlins Beverages, a soft drink producer with brands such as Vitamin Aqua, Lemonade, Plafar (licensed brand), and Pop Cola, has completed a new factory after an investment of EUR 40 million, excluding VAT (approximately EUR 50 million with VAT), according to Ziarul Financiar. "Realised with state aid granted through the scheme run by the Ministry of Economy, the new unit is equipped with two production lines (aseptic PET and dose) from Krones, at the highest standards in the industry. Through these new production capacities, we are entering a new stage of development and climbing directly into the ranking of top players on the regional soft drinks market," said company representatives in a response given on the occasion of the production of the ZF yearbook The Biggest Players