Japan’s Megmilk Snow Brand plans to export its Megmilk Snow Brand Processed Cheddar Cheese to Malaysia, said Yoshinari Furukawa, international department, international business group at Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd. speaking to the author at FHI 2017 (Food and Hotel Indonesia). The company, the number one cheese manufacturer in Japan, is in the process of applying approval from the Malaysian authorities to export its cheese.
The Megmilk Snow Brand Processed Cheddar Cheese (180g) has a shelf life of 12 months. The storage condition is to be kept refrigerated at 0°C to 10°C. It can be used for topping, filling, mixing and snacking. The company plans to expand its Japanese premium taste cheese into other Asian countries.
The cheese is manufactured in Indonesia by PT Megmilk Snow Brand Indonesia, a joint venture with local Rodamas Group.
Growing market share in retail cheese market
Megmilk Snow Brand claims its market share in the Indonesian retail cheese market is growing rapidly, rising from just 2.9% in 2014 to 11.3% in 2015 and subsequently to 18.1%, according to research data from Nielsen. The key growth factors are growing application of cheese and distribution.
The company’s latest product is the MEGcheddar Slice launched in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Nestle has added a new variant to its Maggi instant noodle in Malaysia. The aroma from the sesame oil is the focus of the new Maggi Roasted Sesame Chicken.
A lot of North Asian instant noodles such as those from Nissin and Doll use sesame oil for flavouring. The use of sesame oil in instant noodle reflects the popularity of sesame oil in the local culinary practices in North Asia including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. In Malaysia, sesame oil is mainly used in Chinese cooking.
Image above: Nissin Instant Noodles with Sesame Oil Flavour Soup Base
When it comes to the ingredients, Maggi Roasted Sesame Chicken contains real chicken essence made from chicken that has been boiled over a long period. The noodle is also springier and thicker.
The back of the packaging has description about the ingredients and serving suggestion to make the meal more nutritious by adding egg, chicken and vegetable.
The promotional price is RM 4.79 (USD 1.1) for a bag containing 5 packs each weighing 70g.
Maggi OatMee (on the right) was the previous innovation. The noodle is made from oat has an acquired taste and does not have a mass market appeal. Unlike Maggi OatMee, the Maggi Roasted Sesame Chicken tastes more like the usual Maggi instant noodle, making it more acceptable by consumers. Price wise, the Maggi Roasted Sesame Chicken falls within the price range of the other Maggi 2-minute instant noodle.
Image of Warrior selling in Vietnam taken by the author in March 2017
Launched in Malaysia
T.C. Pharmaceutical Industries Co., Ltd. has recently launched the Warrior sparkling energy drink in Malaysia on 31 March 2017 through Allexcel. The launch in Malaysia is part of a plan to roll out the sparkling energy drink in Southeast Asia.
Allexcel has rights for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Jate Samathivathanachai, Director of Strategy & Investments, Allexcel Trading Sdn. Bhd. said in an interview with the author that the company will seek those markets [Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei] out slowly.
Vietnam is the first market for Warrior
T.C. Pharmaceutical Industries, the brand owner, is getting Warrior into the rest of Indochina. Vietnam is the first market for the Warrior sparkling energy drink. In Vietnam, the company distributes the product through the general trade (GT) first before moving into the modern trade (MT), said Pornsak Sermwitwatwong, Senior Manager, Business Development T.C. Pharmaceutical Industries Bangkok, Thailand.
It is therefore not surprising to find that the major convenience store chains like Circle K as well as the modern supermarkets like Co.Op and Giant are still not carrying Warrior in their stores. The author only saw Warrior selling by roadside vendors when visiting Ho Chi Minh City in March 2017.
Available in all channels in Malaysia
In Malaysia, the company has made available Warrior concurrently in the modern trade and general trade, explained Pornsak. He added that the Warrior sparkling energy drink is now in all the Indochina countries including in Myanmar and Cambodia.
Pioneer in new sparkling energy drink category
Pornsak also said that the Warrior sparkling energy drink is not competing against the regular energy drink like Carabao. Instead, it operates in the new sparkling energy segment, which makes it a pioneer in the sparkling energy category in the region.
Jate Samathivathanachai, Director of Strategy & Investments, Allexcel Trading Sdn. Bhd. sharing the story behind the dynamic brand, and officially launching Warrior Sparkling Energy Drink in Malaysia at Sunway Pyramid
During the launch of the Warrior energy drink at Sunway Pyramid on 31 March 2017, the author had a chance to speak to Jate Samathivathanachai, Director of Strategy & Investments at Allexcel, about the new product and the company’s strategies.
Warrior is not just for millennials
According to Jate, the Warrior energy drink is targeting at 18- to 25-year-olds, also known as the millennial generation. However, he is happy if others drink it because he believes everyone needs energy.
Confidence booster
He cited travel, school, job, friends and social media as some of the things that keep people busy. Warrior is a drink that helps consumers achieve what they want to achieve not only the physical aspect but also mental as well.
The ingredients in the drink help people feel reinvigorated and give them a sense of confidence to ace whatever they need to ace. Whether it is a job interview, asking a girl out, learning a new language or making a decision, the Warrior energy drink gives consumers the confidence to do that, said Jate.
Complements each other
When asked if Warrior will cannabalise share in the existing Red Bull segment, Jate said Red Bull and Warrior complement each other. He cited the example of consumers who do not like fizzy drink can still continue to drink Red Bull.
Not launching sugar free variant anytime soon
Allexcel does not have plans to launch a sugar free energy drink at the moment. The company will see how the new Warrior energy drink performs in the market. At some point, if the company reckons there is a need for sugar free, the company will definitely consider that. Jate feels that to be honest, sugar free or less sugar does not do that well in Malaysia as Malaysians generally have a sweet tooth.
Developing a new category
Allexcel is trying to develop a new category and that is the sparkling energy drink segment. Looking at the broader picture, Warrior competes with a few adjacent categories including carbonated soft drinks but he believes Warrior is a little better than carbonated soft drinks. This is because the drink contains vitamins and ginseng, which makes Warrior having a better value proposition than carbonated soft drinks and tastes great as well.
No plans to have PET packaging for Warrior
When asked if Allexcel has plans to introduce Warrior in PET bottle, Jate said they will go with the can at this point. Warrior’s design is metallic, cool and sharp and if they put it into a bottle, you will not have the same effect.
The inner warrior
The logo is chosen to represent the inner warrior in a person. According to Jate, everyone has an innate warrior and the energy drink aims to help people to bring that out and fight for anything that they want to achieve.
On natural energy drink
Allexcel is definitely considering the natural energy drink segment but at this point the company will go with what they have. The Warrior energy drink has real lemon juice. Jate said the natural ingredients part is definitely on the table but will stick with Warrior to see how it goes.
To roll Warrior out in Southeast Asia
Image of Warrior selling in Vietnam above was taken by the author in March 2017
Vietnam is Warrior’s first market. Warrior will definitely roll out in Southeast Asia. Allexcel has rights for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The company will seek those out slowly. T.C. Pharmaceutical Industries, the brand owner, will slowly try to get Warrior into the rest of Indochina.
Low per capita consumption but with potential
Malaysia has a very low per capita consumption of energy drink at 1.3 litres per year, said Jate citing Canadean data. The per capita consumption in Vietnam is three to four times larger than Malaysia, which shows there is still a large potential in Malaysia.
The key task is to education consumers a little bit more as Malaysian consumers are not 100% clear on the value proposition of energy drinks and what the ingredients do. The company will need to educate consumers on the ingredients and what they can do to them from a physical and psychological aspects. Red Bull has been in Malaysia since 1991.
The key consumer segments
Allexcel uses different SKUs for different segments. The original gold can is for frequent drinkers who need the power. The 25% less sugar is for the more health conscious and people who like it less sweet, targeting the youths and the white collars.
Differences between Red Bull and Red Bull (Product of Europe)
According to Jate, Red Bull (Product of Europe) is the same brand but with a different positioning and slightly different SKU. They are more lifestyle as they have the F1 and the air race. Red Bull is happy to coexist with them as they sort of have the same owners. Red Bull (Product of Europe) is premium and lifestyle focus. Consumers can drink Red Bull on a frequent basis but if they go to party and look good, they can drink Red Bull (Product of Europe), said Jate.
Red Bull, Red Bull (Product of Europe) have different marketing focus
Red Bull (Product of Europe) is more into extreme sports. On the other hand, Red Bull’s marketing activities are more localised, focusing on futsal, which is big for the brand, as well as other local activities like street basketball. Red Bull does local events because Red Bull Malaysia caters to the local population and will leave extreme sports to Red Bull (Product of Europe).
Red Bull to grow e-sports
E-sports is one of the huge initiatives of Red Bull in Malaysia and it was the first time the company had this event in the country in 2016. Jate said the company had a very successful season one. He said Red Bull makes gamers better gamers because they are playing games for seven hours at a time and they need the mental endurance. So Red Bull is an enabling tool for them to become better gamers.
Red Bull has the portal with game related news and lifestyle as well as a tournament hub. The company organised three different tournaments in 2016 including FIFA, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Dota 2. The esport initiative serves as a platform for Malaysian games to compete with each other to get better and this would probably elevate their play to the international level.
Marketing plans for Warrior
Warrior is only three months old. The main task is to get the word out there through roadshows to get people understand what Warrior is about and to get them to taste the drink.
The roadshow will make its way down to Johor Baru from April 29 to 30 and Penang from May 20 to 21.
Liana Apriani, Marketing Chief and Social Butterfly of of Beer at Beervana
The craft beer scene in Indonesia is still new but is growing. In Indonesia, there are two key players in the craft beer market – Beervana Asia, a curator and importer of craft beer, and Stark Beer Brewery, a producer of craft beer in Bali.
Aaron Greiser and Brian Bartusch are the founders of Beervana, a craft beer import and distribution company which revolutionised the craft beer scene in Thailand and now in Indonesia.
We caught up with Beervana at FHI 2017 (Food and Hotel Indonesia) on 5 April 2017 to understand more about the craft beer scene. Beervana currently distributes Anderson Valley craft beer from California, US. The company will make available Tuatara craft beer from New Zealand’s Tuatara Breweries soon.
Anderson Valley craft beer from the US. Image above was taken by the author at FHI 2017
Beervana’s craft beer key markets are Jakarta and Bali, said Liana Apriani, Marketing Chief and Social Butterfly of Beer at Beervana. Jakarta is the biggest market as there is a mix of local and expat consumers. In Bali, it is the locals who drink craft beer as tourists prefer something local such as Bintang beer when it comes to their choice of alcoholic drink. Essentially, craft beer is aimed at local consumers who want a unique drinking experience.
PT Indofood CBP has thrown a new challenge to PT ABC President Indonesia by announcing the entry of Pop Mie into the real meat category. ABC Yomp Super Bowl, launched at the end of 2016, was the first bowl noodle in Indonesia with real meat, a move by ABC President Indonesia to differentiate itself from the heated competition between Bakmie Mewah (Mayora Indah) and Real Meat (Indofood).
Two variants – chicken and beef
The new Pop Mie Meaty comes in two variants – Beef Curry (Kari Sapi) and Chicken Soto (Soto Ayam).
What’s inside Pop Mie Meaty Beef Curry. Image above was taken by the author
The meat pieces are packaged in a retort pouch. Unlike ABC Yomp Super Bowl where the chicken curry has not only real chicken pieces but real potato bits, the Pop Mie Meaty Beef Curry only has beef pieces.
Comparing against ABC Yomp Super Bowl
Compared with ABC Yomp Super Bowl (145g), Pop Mie Meaty is smaller in size (110g) but significantly cheaper than ABC Yomp Super Bowl. This makes Pop Mie Meaty extremely competitive in price against its competitor.
The difference in price between Pop Mie Meaty and Pop Mie Instan Ayam Bawang Spesial on a per unit price basis is +35%. By adding real meat in the bowl noodle, Indofood CBP is able to improve the selling price and hopefully margin.
Targeting more mature consumers
Pop Mie Meaty is aimed at consumers aged 20-30 years old, while the regular and mini Pop Mie has a younger audience, the millenials, aged 15 to 25 years old, said Vemri Junaidi, Pop Mie senior brand manager when speaking to MIX, Indonesia’s largest marketing communication media.
Below is the Pop Mie Meaty TVC.
What Mini Me thinks
The new Pop Mie Meaty does present a strong challenge to ABC Yomp Super Bowl in terms of price.
The launch of Pop Mie Meaty is also part of the on going plan by Indofood CBP to launch more higher-priced products to boost sales value in view of stagnating volume sales in the noodle division. Sales revenue of the noodle segment in 2016 grew 7.2% over 2015, according to Indofood CBP FY 2016 financial statement.
By launching a new premium product in the bowl segment with real meat, it is also likely that Pop Mie wants to engage with the older segment to extend the Pop Mie brand from focusing solely on millenials.
PT Fonterra Indonesia has officially launched Anchor Food Professionals at FHI 2017 (Food and Hotel Indonesia) on 5 April 2017. Anchor Food Professionals is the foodservice brand of Anchor. The mission is to create high quality fit-for purpose products and solutions for foodservice professionals. This comes on the heels of a similar launch of Anchor Food Professionals in Malaysia in August 2016 and in China in May 2016.
From right Stanley Goh, Regional Director, Food Services – Asia, Middle East & Africa at Fonterra and Sigit Wijanarko Director Foodservice Fonterra Brand Indonesia. Image above was captured by the author at FHI 2017
Milk consumption on the rise
A survey by Fonterra shows 98% of urban consumers in Indonesia consume milk daily. Indonesians consumed a total of 780 million glasses of Fonterra milk in 2016, said Sigit Wijanarko Director Foodservice Fonterra Brand Indonesia.
UHT milk popular
Stanley Goh, Regional Director, Food Services – Asia, Middle East & Africa at Fonterra, added that UHT milk is growing faster than milk powder driven by lifestyle, affordability and availability through the retail channel. Fonterra currently has Anlene and Boneeto in the liquid milk segment and plans to increase the number of variants.
Fonterra sales rose 30%
PT Fonterra Indonesia saw its sales value increase 30% and volume rose 20% for the 12 months ending July 2016, according to an article in SWA.co.id. Anlene’s share of sales is the largest at 60%, while the rest comes from Anchor, Anmum and Food Services.
GCH Retail (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the operator of Giant supermarket and hypermarket, has unveiled an animated character known as Kak G. Kak G or “elder sister G” is a typical Malay housewife who is devoted to her family. She has a caring husband and three young lovely children including a toddler. It is not know if Kak G has a full-time job but she certainly loves Korean drama.
Kak G endorses Giant private label
Kak G is a smart shopper. She chooses Giant private label products for her household needs so that she can save money and still go on holidays with her family.
Kak G uses Giant private label for her household needs
Not only does she recommend Giant private label for its good quality and low price, she also demonstrates how to use them. On the Giant Facebook page, she shares recipes and household tips to make shopper’s life easier.
Giant organised a contest to celebrate the appointment of Kak G as the private label brand endorser. The contest ended on 5 April 2017. The hashtag is #BersamaKakG
Consumers were required to cut out the image of Kak G from the flyers and placed it near Giant private label products as creative as possible.
On-the-ground
The on-the-ground execution of the “Choice of Kak G and Family” campaign involves the placing of placards on products shelves featuring Giant private label products.
The example below carries the “refreshing” message but without specifically referring to the Giant private label bottled water. Consumers who are new to Kak G might not know what this is all about.
Images above and below were taken by the author at Giant Superstore Taman Connaught
Moreover, some of the placard is placed in the wrong shelf. The placard below shows Kak G holding a cup of tea/coffee with the message it is tasty and full of cream. Strangely, this placard is located in the canned seafood section.
What Mini Me thinks
GCH Retail is taking a friendly-looking approach of using animated characters to promote its Giant private label range as opposed to Tesco’s use of celebrities. As Kak G and her family is still new to shoppers, more campaigns need to be launched to make them the central figures for all things private label at Giant.
GCH Retail does have other private label products without the Giant brand name. It is not know if the “Choice of Kak G and family” campaign will involve promoting private label products under store brands like Feather Soft, Papa Alfredo and Vita Pet.
Sultan Drinks from Austria said it will introduce two new beverages in Malaysia – Vital Ice Tea and Dates Drink. The premium Austria-based beverages producer is renowned for its unique range of refreshing, fusion drinks featuring the black seed or “nigella sativa”.
Vital Ice Tea contains the following ingredients:
•   Green Tea
•   Jasmine
•   Ginseng
•   Honey
•   Black Seed
•   Natural Flavors
•   Sweetener from Stevia
The Sultan Dates Drink will be produced locally in Penang, said the company when contacted at MIHAS 2017, Malaysia’s premier halal expo.
Image above was taken at Sultan Drinks booth at MIHAS 2017
In Malaysia, Sultan Drinks is exclusively distributed by Pinnacle Foods Sdn Bhd, better known for its trading name Pran. Sultan Drinks are also available in all Saudagar Kurma outlets.
Chia seed has attracted a lot of interest from Malaysians lately. This is evidenced from the surge in search activity for chia seeds in recent times as measured by Google Trends.
Google Trends – Malaysia – chia seeds
Health benefits
Malaysians are keen to know the health benefits of chia seeds as well as how to consume it. This is where manufacturers can step in to educate consumers about chia seeds.
Related queries – Google Trends – Chia Seeds – Malaysia (image above)
New launches – i-Mizu chia seed drink
i-Mizucare Sdn Bhd has unveiled i-Mizu chia seed drink comprising banana and soursop. It is available at 7-Eleven and Aeon. The company’s name is a combination of two Japanese words “ii” or great and “mizu” or water, which means “great water.” The drink is free from preservatives and does not contain added sugar. The i-Mizu chia seed drink is made in Vietnam.
Shweets Chia Tea
Image above was taken at MIHAS 2017
The Shweet Chia Tea is produced by Shweets Confectioneries. This cold brewed drink is high in antioxidants and contains less sugar. It has fibre, omega 3, minerals and protein.
Juzz Juice Bar
Image above was taken by the author at MyNews.com convenience store.
Juzz Juice Bar is a specialty cold-pressed juice beverage manufacturing company with its own range of juice. Among them is the ready-to-drink Juzz Juice Bar with chia seeds. This beverage is available at MyNews.com.
Organic Care2u
Image above was captured by the author at MIHAS 2017
Syarikat Thong Guan Trading Sdn. Bhd imports and sells organic grains. CK Lee, Thong Guan’s sales and marketing manager (organic & noodles), said at MIHAS 2017 that chia seeds are currently popular but he reckoned that it will be overshadowed by millet in the near future.
F&N Fruit Tree Fresh
In Singapore, F&N has introduced the new Fruit Tree Fresh with organic chia seeds. It comes with Zesty Lime and Luscious Berries. No sugar is added and Fruit Tree Fresh is made from 100% juice.
Bee Cheng Hiang, Singapore's famous grilled barbecued meat (bakkwa) brand, and the Singapore Tourism Board, have collaborated to launch home meal replacement (HMR) and...
