<p>Coca-Cola Co. has purchased a group of Argentine juice brands from a local company controlled by a U.S. investment fund, the soft drink giant said Tuesday.</p><p>A local Coke spokeswoman said the company has bought Argentine juice brands Cepita, Carioca and Montefiore from Penaflor, an Argentine winery that is a holding of private equity fund Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. DLJ is in turn owned by Credit Suisse First Boston.</p><p>Local business daily El Cronista reported Tuesday that Coke's acquisition also included the brands Caribe and Cipoletti. The company spokeswoman couldn't confirm the brands but said it was possible they were included in the transaction since Coke acquired Penaflor's entire juice portfolio.</p><p>Coke wouldn't name a price for the acquisition, and Credit Suisse First Boston officials couldn't be reached for comment.</p><p>Before this acquisition, Coke's lone juice offering in Argentina was Hi-C, which has a 5 percent market share, the company spokeswoman said. Penaflor's market share is 6.5 percent, and the local juice market totaled 1.084 billion liters in 2003, according to Coke data.</p><p>The Coke spokeswoman said the company is working on a business plan for its new juice products and isn't yet ready to announce what it will be doing with the brands. El Cronista said the purchase marked Coke's first acquisition in Argentina, a fact the spokeswoman couldn't immediately confirm.</p>
