PepsiCo Inc, one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, opened its first Quaker Oats plant in China on Thursday in an effort to expand its nutritional business in the country, as carbonated-drink sales continue slowing.

Located in the Daxing district of Beijing, the new 200 million yuan ($31.25 million) facility covers 30,000 square meters of production space and has been equipped to produce 50,000 tons of produce annually.

Around 150 new jobs will be created at the site itself, and thousands indirectly in the surrounding community, said officials. The plant will manufacture a variety of Quaker products, including Instant Oats, Quick Cooked Oats, and Quaker's Cereal Powder Drink. Quaker has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001.