The recently concluded Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) in early April 2015 saw quite a number of new beverage products.
Yeo’s and Hawthorn & Tamarind drinks
Singapore’s Yeo’s is bringing Hawthorn and Tamarind canned drinks into Malaysia. The two beverages are already selling in Singapore. At the moment, there are several Tamarind drink (minuman asam jawa) products in the market including Delight and JusMaster. However, the tamarind taste is not universally appealing, making it hard for tamarind to become popular.
Hawthorn is an interesting drink. Yeo’s new Hawthorn drink is marketed as good for digestion (membantu penghadaman). Based on the earlier example of Huiyuan hawthron drink,which was available in Malaysia for a limited period in 2014, the drink was not easy to sell. The hawthorn fruit is more likely to receive a better reception among the Chinese population due to their higher awareness about hawthorn compared with the Malays.
Probably the more successful one will the Bandung Rose Milk Drink, which has just been launched in Singapore. Malays love Bandung syrup and is a must during kenduri (feasting). The syrup is commonly sold by hawkers. An RTD version will ensure Bandung syrup can be conveniently consumed on the go.
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| In Singapore, Yeo’s has just launched Bandung Rose Milk Drink |
Aloe vera drink
Aloe vera drink has always been associated with South Korea (eg OKF Aloe Vera King). Now, TC of TC Sdn Bhd is bringing into the country the South Korea-made aloe vera drink Powerful and selling it through 7-Eleven. Powerful Aloe Vera drink is made by Seoul-based Powerful Beverage (P-Beverage).
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| PIJ Manufacturing aloe vera products |
PIJ Manufacturing Sdn Bhd introduced its range of aloe vera-based products including aloe vera bird’s nest drink, aloe vera & mixed fruit emulsion and aloe vera juice. The 300ml aloe vera lime juice uses stevia as sweetener and contains lime flavour and permitted colouring and preservatives.
The company is the first aloe vera extract producer in the country with its own farm, factory and sales office located in the southern state of Johor.
Coconut
Erapoly Global Sdn Bhd showcased its virgin coconut oil (VCO), coconut drink in can and coconut beverage mix in sachet. The coconut beverage mix is sold under the Cocoboy (太子椰) brand comprising natural coconut, coconut green tea and coconut milk tea.
The 1000 Coco coconut drink in can is positioned as a sports drink.
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| The middle one is for export |
Linaco Manufacturing (M) Sdn. Bhd. showcased the export version of its Cowa coconut water drink. The packaging for export comes with a design that conveys the tropical feel. Compared with the export version, the packaging for the local market focuses more on hydration and refreshing as evidenced through the water ripple effect design.
Turkish beverages
Hamidiye Spring Water Malaysia highlighted the Hamidiye Glass bottle, launched in September 2015. Hamidiye bottled water in PET is currently sold in KK and Mydin.
The company also introduced Uludag Fritti Extra featuring 6% fruit juice in bottle design as well as Uludag Limonata, a Turkish lemonade.
Lumin Spring halal mineral water
Lumin Spring halal mineral water was featured at MIHAS 2016. The mineral water from China’s Changbai Mountain is imported and marketed by Lumin Spring International Group Sdn Bhd. Lumin Spring is certified Halal by JAKIM. The gold-tinted water bottle is biodegradable and can withstand temperature of up to 150°C. Lumin Spring was launched in 2015. The gold-tinted water bottle design is for the Malaysia market, while the blue colour bottle featuring Chinese characters is for the Taiwan market distributed by 未来趋势国际饮品有限公司 (Future Trend International Beverage Co). Lumin Spring is made by China’s Fusong Bajing Ever – White Mountain Heavenly Lake Beverage Co., Ltd. and is aimed at the premium market.
RTD coffee
Deluxe Rich Sdn Bhd is the maker of Wild Taste RTD coffee. The curvy can, which is imported, looks refreshing. The company has been focusing on exports and is now looking at exploring the local market.
Pouch juice drink
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| Image from PS Food & Beverage Facebook site |
PS Food and Beverage Sdn Bhd, the company that brought us Origina pouch fruit juice, introduced its Chocojoy Chocolate Flavoured Milk in pouch. It is fortified with vitamin B3, B2, D3 and A. The flavoured milk contains zero cholesterol and is low in fat, high in calcium. The company also won the Entrepreneural Excellence Award 2016 at MIHAS 2016.
PS Food and Beverage’s other products in the Origina lineup included pineapple juice, apple juice, blackcurrant juice and pomegranate juice. Also available was Muscle Builder High Protein Drink Belgium Ice Chocolate. The pouch drink contains 30g of protein.
Animation character drink
PS Food and Beverage soft launched Ummi Origina at MIHAS 2016. The product features Ummi, a character in the Ummi Tales of Wisdom animation by Hud Hud Media Sdn Bhd. Character drink based on local animation series is becoming popular thanks to the success of the BoBoiBoy series.
Mediafoundry Sdn Bhd and Kincirmas Sdn Bhd launched a range of fruit flavoured drinks for children based on the SuperSquare animated TV series in November 2015. The SuperSquad flavoured juice range included mango, ice lemon tea, blackcurrant and lychee.
The thriving local animation industry means there will be a lot of new characters potentially gracing the packaging of new beverages.
Rex Canning – new energy drink and blackcurrant juice
Rex Canning made available its latest energy drink Rexbul in a slim can. The other new products comprised Rexbena and Rexbena Sparkling Blackcurrant juice. The sparkling version is seen as competing against the new Ribena Lightly Sparkling Blackcurrant juice.
Energy drink – B7
Salam Consultancy and Services Sdn Bhd is a company based in Malaysia. It makes B7 energy drink for export into China’s Xinjiang province.
Non-alcoholic beverages
Central Distribution & Agency (KL) Sdn Bhd exhibited the zero alcohol Vendôme Mademoiselle from Univers Drink Group.
For non-alcohol malt drink, refer to the previous blog post Non-Alcoholic Malt Drink Sowing Seeds in Malaysia.
Key takeaways:
The potential market for non-alcoholic drinks is large but it all depends on whether the JAKIM endorses them with the halal certification.
Companies are targeting the children’s market by collaboration with the latest popular local animation programs. When these shows become popular internationally, beverage brands with existing collaboration can piggyback on the show’s success to grow in foreign markets.
Several manufacturers which have been focusing on the export market are refocusing their interest on the domestic market.
Aloe vera is starting to gain traction as a beverage ingredient. I have seen aloe vera products being promoted in trade shows in London and Jakarta.
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| Aloe vera juice as a search keyword generating rising interest online – Google Trend |
The interest for Asian drinks such as tamarind is still going strong as companies introduce products suitable for the local palate.
