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Cheers to Beervana craft beer

By
Tan Heng Hong
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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.

Beervana can be ordered online at order@beervana.asia

Pop Mie Meaty changes dynamics in bowl noodle category

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

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.

Anchor Food Professionals launched in Indonesia

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Image captured by the author at FHI 2017

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.

Animated character Kak G to drive private label sales at Giant

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

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.

Introducing Kak G:

https://www.facebook.com/giantmalaysia/videos/10154151863806330/

Kak G contest

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

https://www.facebook.com/giantmalaysia/videos/10154138103476330/

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 to roll out Vital Ice Tea, Dates Drink

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Image from Sultan Drinks website

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 seeds get the spotlight

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Image from the web

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.

Meat-free Quorn lands in Thailand

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Image from Quorn Thailand Facebook site

The UK-based meat-free protein brand Quorn has officially entered Thailand on 29 March 2017. The Philippines-based Monde Nissin Corporation bought Quorn in 2015 and has since introduced the meat-free brand to the Philippines in Nov 2016.

Three products for Thailand

During the introductory phase, Monde Nissin Thailand will import 3 Quorn products, with price ranging from 99 baht to 119 baht per packet. This includes ingredient-type formats like Chunks and Grounds, which can be prepared into a variety of favorite local dishes like curry, stew and many more as well as ready-to-cook format like Nuggets for consumers’ convenience. More products will then be launched in the succeeding months.

Quorn can be found at Foodland, Gourmet Market, MaxValu, Tops Market and Central Food Hall.

The meat-free product was recently showcased at World Food Expo 2017, which runs until 9 April 2017.

Future plans

Mr. Rufino Tiam-Lee, CEO of Monde Nissin Singapore Pte Ltd., principal owner of Quorn brand in Asia, said, “The company plans to aggressively expand the business of Quorn among the existing markets of Monde Nissin, which comprises the Philippines, Thailand, Australia and the United Kingdom, and also to new markets. This year we will introduce Quorn to various countries in Asia.

Quorn taps foodservice opportunities in the Philippines

Quorn is active in the foodservice in the UK and the US to provide consumers with a meat-free alternative. In the Philippines, Quorn collaborated with Shakey’s Pizza to launch the two Quorn pizza options – Protein Surprise and Cheesy Chick’n in November 2016.

According to Monde Nissin, “Protein Surprise is a delectable medley of Quorn chicken-style chunks, Quorn pepperoni-style slices, black olives, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and pineapple. For fans of cheesy pizzas, indulge in Cheesy Chick’n made with Quorn-chicken style chunks, onions, bell peppers, cheddar cheese, and topped with cheese sauce. Both flavors are soy-free and meat-free, giving food enthusiasts who are looking to reduce meat intake an alternative to enjoy the familiar savory taste of pizza with less guilt.”

Quorn range in the Philippines (image above)

What Mini Me thinks

Introducing the western-inspired Quorn in Asia particularly in Thailand where vegetarian food is abundant in interesting. Quorn does fit into the broader trend in Asia of going meat-free not only necessitated by religion but more so as an alternative lifestyle.

Quaker Good Start has new look, flavours and more

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Quaker Good Start – April 2017

Image above from 7-Eleven Philippines

Quaker Good Start ready-to-drink oats dairy drink now has a new packaging and two new variants – chocolate hazelnut and mocha chocolate. Good Start offers a rich source of calcium and fibre for consumers on-the-go. Compared with the old design, the new look focuses on “Good Start” with a more dynamic and prominent font size.

Old packaging (image above)

Schlurp Wintermelon – March 2017

The  Vavavoom wintermelon Schlurp milk tea with chewy jellies is now available at 7-Eleven. The drink is brewed with Himalayan black milk tea with a hint of wintermelon. Schlurp is free from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and has no artificial tea flavours and colours.

Jelly Vit – March 2017

Jelly Vit, a jelly drink in a pouch, is now available. It comes with 60 kcal aiming at consumers who are conscious of their calories. The lychee variant contains collagen and vitamin C, while the calamansi variant offers vitamin A, C and E. Jelly Vit competes against Jele from Thailand’s Kim Heng Food. Jele is targeted at young females and first jobbers.

Monde Malee Beverage Corporation (MMBC), the joint venture between local Monde Nissin and Thailand’s Malee, introduced Jelly Vit in the market. 

Yummy embraces Greek yoghurt

By
Tan Heng Hong
-
Image taken by the author at FHI 2017

PT Yummy Food Utama has showcased its latest Greek yoghurt at FHI 2017 (Food and Hotel Indonesia). The product will be launched in the modern trade in Indonesia in April 2017. This will mark the entry of Yummy into the Greek yoghurt space, putting it in competition with imported Elle and Vire, Emmi and Farmer’s Union as well as local Heavenly Blush.

Three flavours

There will be three flavours – blueberries, strawberry and original. The pack sizes are 100ml and 500ml. The Yummy Greek yoghurt will be priced at the premium but affordable level aiming at consumers from the A and B+ social economic status (SES), said Yummy Food Utama Marketing Manager Dhanny Shaviera. The company operates a dairy farm outside of Sukabumi, West Java.

With spoon inside

Image above was taken by the author at FHI 2017

Having a spoon inside does not seem to be terribly exciting elsewhere but here in Indonesia, this can be a game changer. Most locally-made yoghurt with the exception of Heavenly Blush Greek yogurt does not come with the spoon. You need to get the spoon at the cashier. With the spoon inside the packaging, it helps to promote yoghurt for on-the-go consumption.

However, we feel that the spoon design has to improve as it is rather tough to remove the spoon from the plastic lid. At the end, the author ended up eating with the spoon still attached to the lid.

New packaging design for existing range

Image above was taken at FHI 2017

At FHI 2017, Yummy introduced the new design for its spoonable yoghurt. We were told that it will be made available in 2017.

Updated on 14 October 2017

The previous review was a prototype version. The actual product contains an improve shorter spoon that is robust. There is also another plastic layer to protect the content once you peel off the cover.

 

3 Horses malt-based drink aims to sell 100,000 cartons per month

By
Tan Heng Hong
-

Mini Me Insights has given strong coverage to the 3 Horses malt since its debut in Malaysia. The most recent article is an interview with Ries Kroos from United Dutch Breweries. Click here for the link.

Now, three malt drink has received local media coverage by the Malay-language daily Sinar Harian on 1 April 2017. Below is the summary.

Plans to expand to East Malaysia

Three Horses Malt (Malaysia) President Abdul Hady Zabil said there are plans to expand the distribution to Sabah, Sarawak and the East Coast in the near term. At the moment, 3 Horses malt is available in the Klang Valley, Malacca, Perak, Johor and Penang. He added that 3 Horses is in Singapore and is in the process of entering Indonesia. The company will take a slow approach to expand the market in Southeast Asia, said Zabil.

Introducing light version

The light version will be introduced in 2017 and will be a growth driver for the malt-based drink.

Milk booster?

Zabil said the 3 Horses malt-based drink helps to reduce cholesterol. In addition to that, the barley ingredient serves as a milk booster and is good for mothers who are lactating. Milk booster function has become a trend now in Malaysia with the most recent product Farm Fresh Kurma Milk having the same claim.

Monthly sales of 8,000 cartons

Currently, the monthly sales of 3 Horses malt-based drink is 8,000 cartons, said Wan Amirulmuttakin Wan Aminuddin, operational manager at 3 Horses Malt. The goal is to boost sales to 100,000 cartons per month by the end of 2017 with a series of marketing events. The company plans to undergo a roadshow, advertise on online and print media as well as raising awareness about the halal status of the drink.

Expanding distribution channel

The plan is to make 3 Horses available in several supermarkets nationwide by the end of 2017. 3 Horses can be ordered online through the Facebook site at 3horsesbeverage.

The company said with the expansion of the geographical reach in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Australia, these markets are expected to contribute 20,000 cartons per month in the coming six to 12 months.

Consumed at corporate and wedding events

According to Wan Amirulmuttakin Wan Aminuddin, 3 Horses are consumed at events including corporate events as an alternative to alcoholic drinks as well as airlines. The malt-based drink is also ordered for weddings and festive celebrations.

Visit Three Horses at MIHAS 2017

3 Horses is participating at MIHAS 2017. Do visit the booth at A118-A119. The halal expo opens on 5 April 2017 and ends on 8 April 2017.

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