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A look at the vibrant coconut water scene in Singapore

The author had a chance to visit Singapore in January 2017 and surprisingly found the packaged coconut water has already taken hold in the country.

One strong reason why Singaporeans are turning to packaged coconut water is the difficulty of getting hold of fresh coconut in the island nation. As a contrast, fresh coconut is abundant in Malaysia and can easily bought from the roadside vendors. The easy availability of fresh coconut has made Malaysians picky with the taste and as a result putting a cap on the growth of the coconut water category.

This article focuses on the product available in the different channels.

7-Eleven

Image taken by the author in January 2017

At 7-Eleven, the packaged coconut water products comprise:

  • IF Local Sensation Coconut Water (Thailand’s General Beverage Co., Ltd.) – SGD 2.20
  • Yeo’s 100% Natural Coconut Water 330ml – SGD 4.20 for two (SGD 2.90 for one)
  • F&N Coco Life 330ml – SGD 2.90 for two
  • UFC Refresh Coconut Water (Thailand) 500ml – SGD 3.20
  • UFC Refresh Coconut Water with Watermelon (Thailand) 500ml – SGD 3.60
  • Just Picked CocoWater (Thailand) 330ml – SGD 2.90
  • Yeo’s Coconut Juice Drink 500ml – SGD 2.50
Image taken by the author in January 2017

The UFC Refresh Coconut Water is the number 1 brand in Singapore, according to Nielsen Singapore Market Track value sales for coconut flavoured Asian drinks category MAT June 2016.

In some 7-Eleven, coconut water is scattered in different parts of the chilled section. In one 7-Eleven, the F&N Coco Life was located next to Minute Maid Orange, the Yeo’s Coconut Juice Drink was placed next to Yeo’s Chrysanthemum Tea and Yeo’s 100% Coconut Water was put between Sprite and Mogu Mogu Grape Juice.

Thai Coco Coconut Milk – Original, Banana and Melon is available at 7-Eleven for SGD 2.75 each. This is the only coconut milk-based drink spotted in the modern retail outlets.

Giant HyperFresh at Suntec City Mall

Image taken by the author in January 2017

There are more choices at Giant HyperFresh Suntec City Mall compared to 7-Eleven. The products include:

  • Yeo’s Coconut Juice Drink 500ml can – SGD 1.00 (usual price SGD 1.40)
  • Yeo’s 100% Natural Coconut Water 330ml Tetra Pak – SGD 1.40 (usual price SGD 2.30)
  • Vita Coco 330ml Tetra Pak – 2 for SGD 2.95 (usual price SGD 3.80)
  • Vita Coco 1L Tetra Pak – SGD 3.60 (usual price SGD 4.50)
  • UFC Coconut Water 500ml Tetra Pak – 2 for SGD 3.45 (usual price SGD 3.90)
  • Wong Coco Coconut Juice with Pulp 520ml can – SGD 1.20
  • Ice Cool Coconut Juice with Pulp 500ml can – SGD N/A
  • F&N Coco Life 1L Tetra Pak – SGD 3.15 (usual price SGD 3.65)
  • Yeo’s 100% 100% Natural Coconut Water 1L Tetra Pak -SGD 3.30 (usual price SGD 4.40)
  • CocoMax 100% Coconut Water 500ml PET – SGD 1.95
Image taken by the author

Greater choices at NTUC FairPrice

Image captured by the author in January 2017

The NTUC FairPrice at Chinatown Point sells more varieties of coconut water and has bigger space to give brands better shelf placement for their products.

Image captured by the author in January 2017

Nyugi coconut water from the Philippines was having a sampling activity in the supermarket. The Nyogi Coconut Water with Watermelon, Nyogi Coconut Water Lightly Sweetened and Nyogi Pure Coconut Water were made available in NTUC FairPrice in November 2016, while Zico was launched in Singapore in June 2016.

Image taken at NTUC Fairprice Chinatown Point in January 2017

The Zico 100% Natural Coconut Water 330ml Tetra Pak was selling at SGD 1.60. Other products in the shelf were Ice Cool Pink Coconut Water, CocoMax Coconut Water with Mango 500ml and FairPrice 100% Coconut Water 1L.

NTUC FairPrice has just introduced the private label 100% coconut water under the FairPrice label in early 2017, making it likely the first private label coconut water in Singapore.

Cold Storage

Image taken by the author at Cold Storage in January 2017

Nudie’s and Tipco’s coconut water are available at Cold Storage.

Redmart – Maprao Organic Coconut

Thailand’s Maprao Organic Coconut was launched in Singapore in September 2016 and is available through the online supermarket RedMart.com. The retail price is SGD 3.90 for a 250ml bottle. Other coconut water sold on RedMart.com include Nudie, Meko, Merito, DJ&A, Cocoxim, Absolute and Nakula.

Lesser known imported brands target foodservice

Munkijo 100% Organic Coconut Water

A greater varieties of imported coconut water are stocked by foodservice operators. This comes as importers find it easier to target restaurant owners as they have lower shelf placement fees compared to supermarkets or convenience stores. The Munkijo 100% Organic Coconut Water 330ml Tetra Pak is selling at SGD 3.30.

Noah’s Creative Juices from Australia

Bus advertising

Image captured by the author

With high level of public transport commuting, companies are using bus for out-of-home advertising as seen in the example of F&N’s Coco Life announcing the availability of the new 1L pack.

Image from mumbrella.asia

Moove Media Pte Ltd, the advertising arm of ComfortDelGro Corporation Ltd, has turned the bus into a tropical island for Yeo’s coconut water.

Image from brandinginasia.com

The interior is designed to feature sand and a boardwalk line, while the ceiling is adorned with blue sky stickers to associate coconut water as the refreshing option in the humid condition in Singapore.

Image from brandinginasia.com

What Mini Me thinks

The vibrant coconut water scene in Singapore has driven the growth of the juice market in Singapore in 2015, according to Euromonitor where juice accounted for 32% of the Singapore soft drink market in 2015, the largest category. The closet competitors are carbonates at 25% and RTD tea at 20%.

The market will continue to attract the entry of new brands into the market. We will also be seeing flavour and coconut milk-based products playing a larger role in engaging with consumers going forward.

 

Pocari Sweat has new community service message for dengue

Dengue is a dreaded disease in the tropics. Consumers in Malaysia and Indonesia have their own remedies to treat dengue including using isotonic drinks to replace lost fluid. In Malaysia, isotonic beverage makers are careful not to actively or overly promote the use of isotonic drink to hydrate dengue patients. This comes as it is already a common practice by family members to supply isotonic drinks to loved ones down with dengue. Brands also fear such move might infringe on existing regulations.

It is another case in Indonesia where Amerta Indah Otsuka, the producer of Pocari Sweat isotonic drink, has been emphasising the message of hydration for dengue patients for several years.

Pocari Sweat hydrates dengue patients

On the Q&A section of the website of Amerta Indah Otsuka, the company has ruled out Pocari Sweat can cure dengue (demam berdarah dengue – DBD). However, it does mention the beverage can replace lost fluid citing World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation to dengue patients to take isotonic drink with ion.

Collaborates with government and health experts

The company has been strengthening the message of hydration for dengue patients by organising a series of official events involving health experts and the government.

The 9th Pocari Sweat Conference 2012 saw the company touring 14 cities imparting the importance of hydration. The event with the theme “The Secret of Ion” concluded with a conference i Jakarta attended by Prof. Dr. Ir. Deddy Muchtadi, MS from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) speaking about the importance of hydration in the human body and Dr. Leonard Nainggolan, SpPD-KPTI who specialises in tropical infectious disease at Universitas Indonesia Faculty of Medicine talking about the importance of hydration and ion in the healing of DBD.

In early 2016, Amerta Indah Otsuka organised a seminar entitled “hydration therapy with ion for dengue patients.” The event in Yogyakarta was supported by the Health Department of Yogyakarta and attended by community health clinic doctors.

Community service message

Amerta Indah Otsuka is strengthening the message of hydration through a community service message on Metro TV, Indonesia’s first 24-hour news channel. The community service message is a collaboration between the company and RSCM (Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital in Jakarta).

The commercial features the tropical disease expert Dr. Leonard Nainggolan, who has participated in earlier events organised by Amerta Indah Otsuka, explaining the importance of hydration for dengue patients.

He is seen pouring the content from a bottle bearing a logo closely resembling Pocari Sweat. Tiny icons with the word ‘ion’ accompany the content that is being poured out. The figure next to the glass symbolises the dengue patient who is now getting hydrated from the isotonic drink.

What Mini Me thinks

With the eradication of dengue far from complete due to the lack of a permanent cure, some brands are stepping up the effort to show that they can actually help. In the case of Indonesia, Pocari Sweat has successfully positioned itself as the isotonic drink with ion suitable to hydrate dengue patients. Such initiative is done with the full support of the government.

New powder coconut water – Nutrisari Kelapa Muda

Indonesia’s PT Nutrifood Indonesia has rolled out the coconut version for its NutriSari powder instant drink. NutriSari is popularly known for its orange powder instant drink. The latest young coconut (kelapa muda) taps into the coconut trend.

The interesting thing about this product is coconut water now comes in the powder format, which can be consumed anywhere and anytime just with the addition of water.

What Mini Me thinks

The introduction of powdered coconut water is a natural progression from liquid for the coconut water category. The powder drink in sachet brings down the price to a more affordable level. It also provides food service operators with an option to serve coconut water as part of their offering.

New Mie Sedaap Ayam Bawang Telur with real egg pieces

Indonesia’s Wings Food has just introduced a new instant noodle. The new Mie Sedaap Ayam Bawang Telur (Chicken Onion Egg) comes with real pieces of egg yolk, double chicken stock and double onion.

The addition of egg yolk and other real ingredients is seen as part of a move to improve the taste and texture and bring something unique to consumers. This follows the positive response to Mayora Indah’s Bakmi Mewah and Indofood’s Indomie Real Meat, both featuring real chicken pieces. We will be seeing more innovations featuring real ingredients in the instant noodle category going forward.

Masculine biker

The TVC of Mie Sedaap Ayam Bawang Telur features Chicco Jerikho as a biker. He is seen holding a hen and then an egg claiming the authentic Mie Sedaap Ayam Bawang Telur should have egg.

The use of biker in the instant noodle TV commercial fits well with the image of Chicco as a biker in the previous commercials he has done for Honda and Antangin. Nevertheless, the choice of masculine character for instant noodle commercial appears interesting as such character is often seen in men’s toiletries and coffee advertisement.

Perhaps Mie Sedaap is drawing upon popular characters like Chicco and Syahrini (Mie Sedaap White Curry commercial) to make a strong statement – Chicco holding a hen and Syahrini as a female military commander – to ensure consumers remember the advertisement.

Actress Syahrini inspecting a row of ‘soldiers’ in the Mie Sedaap White Curry noodle TV commercial (image above)

Here are the complete TVCs:

 

New beverage launches in Singapore – Juscool to Bootleg

Here is an update on new beverage launches in Singapore in the past few months. The information is gathered from the store checks carried out in January 2017 as well as supplementary information from NTUC FairPrice weekly ads.

Juscool with Healthier Choice Symbol

Yeo Hiap Seng introduced Juscool towards the end of 2016. The carbonated juice drink is made with real fruit juice and comprises six juicy flavours  – Apple, Peach, Grape, Passionfruit, Yuzu and Orange. It features the Healthier Choice Symbol (HSC) for having 25% less sugar than regular carbonated drinks.

The ingredients for Juscool Sparkling Peach are carbonated water, fructose, cane sugar, peach juice, sorbitol, flavour, citric acid, trisodium citrate, sodium benzoate, salt and colour. It contains permitted perservative, colouring and flavouring substances and contains sweetener and acidity regulators as permitted food conditioners. The total sugar per 100ml serving is 6.8g.

Juscool does not have a strong aftertaste, which makes it a good choice for those who want to have a low-sugar sparkling drink option.

Juscool is available in 325ml can, 500ml PET and 1.5L PET.

Celsius fat burning drink

Celsius fat-burning energy drink was launched in November 2016 in a partnership with Yeo Hiap Seng Singapore. The 335ml cans are available in Sparkling Grape Rush and non-carbonated Peach Mango Green Tea. The drink is aimed largely at gyms and fitness enthusiasts.

Tranquni relaxation drink

Tranquini relaxation drink appeared on NTUC FairPrice catalogue in October 2016. The price of Tranquni at Raffles Cty Marketplace is SGD 2.60 per can. The beverage is placed among isotonic and energy drinks.

Pocari Sweat 900ml

Pocari Sweat is now available in 900ml at selected 7-Eleven outlets.

Sportade with lower sugar

The Sportade isotonic drink now comes with new formula with the same great taste but 25% lower in sugar compared to regular sports drink. The total sugar per 100ml is 5.4g.

Pokka Kiyo Kyoho Grape Juice Drink

The first impression of Pokka Kiyo Kyoho Grape Juice Drink is doesn’t it look like Ribena? I did not taste the new drink and therefore couldn’t give you the confirmation. Kiyo contains vitamins A, B, C, D and E and comes in multiple packaging formats – pouch, Tetra Pak and PET. Kiyo is free from preservation and artificial colouring. The total sugar per 100ml is 10.7g.

Kyoho is a trending flavour in RTD tea in Thailand and was instrumental in the growth of the fruit green tea segment. The Oishi Kyoho grape flavoured green tea was launched in January 2016 and Ichitan Chew Chew Kyoho Grape Flavoured Green Tea with Nata De Coco was introduced in July 2016.

Pokka Lifeplus

Pokka Lifeplus is a drink containing double action of vitamin C (1,000mg) and zinc. Zinc helps in the production of enzymes and plays an important role in the immune system. Pokka Lifeplus comes with orange and lemon flavours. This beverage is an upgrade from the current Pokka Lemon 1000.

Bootleg Alcoholic Root Beer

Bootleg Alcoholic Root Beer (275ml) with 5% alcohol is available at 7-Eleven. It is made in Australia by South State Food and Beverage Pty Ltd. and distributed by Cold Storage Singapore (1983) Pte Ltd.

Strongbow cider in can

The Strongbow cider has always come in glass bottle. Now, there is a new can version.

What Mini Me thinks

What we are seeing is beverages are embracing the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) by releasing lower sugar option. Functional drinks like fat-burning and relaxation are also tapping into changing lifestyle needs. Pokka Lifesplus and Pokka Kiyo are examples of beverages that focus on the nutritional aspect aiming at the different demographics.

 

Petronas Kedai Mesra in festive mood selling auspicious pineapples

One day, while stopping at Petronas to refuel my car, I saw to my surprise the Kedai Mesra convenience store in the petrol station was actually selling pineapples. This was in the few days in the run up to Chinese New Year 2017, which falls on 28 January 2017.

For Malaysian Chinese, pineapple is a sign of good fortune because in the Hokkien dialect, the word pineapple (Ong Lai) sounds like Ong (旺) or luck/fortune and 來 (Lai) is come. When combined, the meaning is “fortune comes.”


Pineapple is one of the designs for the Pepsi Chinese New Year 2017 cans. (3rd from the left)

When pineapples are sold at Kedai Mesra, I am sure they are meant largely for Chinese customers who buy them for their Chinese New Year celebration. [Pineapple has become a permanent fixture for this store]

The example of the pineapple shows once again petrol mart can be an important partner for companies looking to sell their products. The key advantage of petrol stations in Malaysia is they enjoy strong footfall thanks to the high car ownership in the country, which is third in the world at 93%, according to Nielsen.

Checking out the alcohol-free beer retail scene in Singapore

During a visit to Singapore in January 2017, the author had the chance to check out the alcohol-free beer scene. With the alcohol-free, malt-based drink market heating up in Malaysia, it is a good time see how the Singapore’s alcohol-free beer market, which has an early start, is performing.

New liquor laws in effect from April 2015

The new liquor laws, which ban the drinking of alcohol in public places from 10.30pm to 7am starting 1 April 2015, is a game changer. It provides a strong reason for market players to focus on alcohol-free beer to contravene the law. The Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act also forbids retailers from selling takeaway alcoholic beverages during the restricted hours.

The official reason for coming up with the new regulations is to minimise public disorder and disamenities arising from drinking in public.

A Straits Times article published on 29 June 2015 gave us a good overview from the product availability perspective. According to the article, 7-Eleven back then was selling Asahi Dry Zero, while Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Singapore was testing Tiger Maxx 0.0% since late 2014. It is not know if Tiger Maxx is still available in Singapore but is clear that in Malaysia, Tiger Zero is currently available at selected restaurants.

Retailers under the FairPrice banners were also selling the non-alcoholic beers of Bavaria and Krombacher. The Straits Times journalist also cited the less-than-ideal taste of alcohol-free beer as a prime example why non-alcoholic beers were facing sluggish sales.

Raffles City Market Place

The author visited a few modern retailers in Singapore to find out. Market Place by Jasons at Raffles City was stocking Japanese alcohol-free beer by Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin and Suntory as well as Bavaria from the Netherlands.

Cold Storage online store

The Cold Storage online store is selling brands from Japan (Kirin, Asahi, Suntory and Sapporo) and from Germany (Krombacher and Erdinger).

Placed next to beer

In Singapore, all the alcohol-free beer is placed next to beer, which shows once again that alcohol-free beer is aimed at beer drinkers who maybe opting for an alcohol-free variant. In Malaysia, such an approach is unimaginable as alcohol-free beer or more correctly malt-based drink is positioned for all consumers including Muslims. Such drinks including Bavaria, 3 Horses and Barbican are placed among soft drinks to provide assurance to Muslim consumers that they are safe to consume. See the post on Barbican.

What Mini Me thinks

The dynamics of the market in Singapore are different compared to Malaysia. In Singapore, the alcohol-free beer is aimed at addressing the new liquor laws and targeting existing beer drinks who opt for something more sober. In Malaysia, alcohol-free, malt-based drink is positioned as a soft drink to target a broader consumer base including Muslims.

Looking at the product availability, alcohol-free beer appears to be struggling to compete with the more popular and vibrant cider scene in Singapore.

Fonterra plans to launch cheese, yoghurt, Anlene Move Max in Indonesia

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has revealed several interesting plans for Indonesia, a market where the per capita consumption of milk is still very low. The New Zealand dairy group opened its first manufacturing plant in Indonesia in September 2015. The blending and packing factory is located in Cikarang, West Java. The Cikarang factory has the capacity to produce 16,000 MT of dairy ingredients a year covering Anlene, Anmum and Anchor Boneeto.

Anlene Move Max

Tria Septariana, Head of Consumer Insight and Marketing Research at PT Fonterra Brands, said in an interview with the local business daily Kontan that the company will introduce Anlene Move Max either in March or April 2017.

Anlene Move Max was introduced in Malaysia in the first half of 2016 with the emphasis on full mobility (live young).

Anmum Nuelipid

According to Tria, Fonterra will launch Anmum Nuelipid in mid-2017. Anmum Materna with Neulipid debuted in the country at the end of 2015, while Anmum Essential with Neulipid is already in the market. Therefore, it is not sure what the new product would be and the guess is it will contain higher level of GA compared to previous formulations. GA and DHA are key nutrients found in the brain.

New variant of Boneeto

In 2017, Fonterra will also introduce new variants to the Anchor Bonneeto range, which is aimed at young children.

Cheese and yoghurt for retail channel

The highlight of the interview is the plan to introduce cheese and yoghurt for the Indonesian retail market. According to Fonterra’s internal data, yoghurt sales in Indonesia rose by 32% in 2016 compared with 2015, of which 9% were new buyers. Cheese consumption in the country, meanwhile, expanded at a slower pace of 8.1% year-on-year in 2016.

For the retail market, Fonterra plans to release cheese products in the form of slice, cream or even snack, added Tria. Fonterra Foodservices currently supplies cheese to the foodservice market but not for the retail segment. The retail cheese market is now dominated by Kraft with local Prochiz as a strong challenger. PT Megmilk Snow Brand Indonesia has recently launched MEGcheddar Slice.

As for yoghurt, the company is evaluating several innovation options including drink, “thick” or prebiotic. The drinkable yoghurt market is the biggest in Indonesia. while spoonable is the smallest.

What Mini Me thinks

It would be interesting to see which yoghurt segment – drinkable or spoonable – Fonterra will focus for its entry into the retail market. The absence of a children-focused yoghurt in Indonesia makes the yoghurt market an interesting category and opportunity for Fonterra to grow its CalsiYum brand in the country.

Fernleaf CalciYum cultured milk in Malaysia

Pick up parcel at myNEWS.com

It is now a trend for convenience stores to embrace the O2O initiative to stay relevant in the e-commerce age. Convenience store has the advantage for covering the last mile in logistics, thanks to their strong network of stores in strategic locations. Here are examples of the last mile initiatives by the two local convenience store chains in Malaysia – 7-Eleven and Bison Consolidated (myNEWS.com). The latter has just introduced the Pgeon delivery service.

7-Eleven partners with BOXiT

Image above comes from The Sun Daily

In Malaysia, 7-Eleven, the undisputed leader in convenience store retailing, has formed a partnership with BOXiT in May 2016 to offer parcel locker services in 7-Eleven outlets. Consumers can collect their parcels from 7-Eleven stores at anytime of the day.

In Singapore, 7-Eleven is working with Ta-Q-Bin for drop-off and pick-up of parcels at over 510 outlets nationwide.

Image above was taken by the author in a 7-Eleven outlet in Singapore in January 2017

Pick up parcel at myNEWS.com

myNEWS.com introduced the Pgeon delivery service in January 2017 with EasyParcel, a web-based parcel consolidator and eCommerce shipping solutions provider. The service is known as the new point-to-point delivery alternative. Parcels can be picked up or dropped off at any myNEWS.com outlets in the country. The Facebook link for Pgeon can be found here.

Pgeon points in Malaysia’s Klang Valley area

Vital statistics

7-Eleven opened its 2,000th outlet in July 2016. BOXiT is not available in every 7-Eleven stores.

As of 31 October 2016, Bison Consolidated operated 303 outlets including 9 WH Smith outlets. It appears Pgeon is available at all Bison’s myNEWS.com outlets.

What Mini Me thinks

With e-commerce becoming a fact of life, convenience store plays an important role in fulfilling the last mile to provide consumers with the convenience of taking delivery of their order. The added benefits of the last-mile strategy for convenience store chains are improve footfall and higher complementary income. The current challenge is not the service and the physical hardware but consumer willingness to embrace the convenience and awareness.

Wonda Extra Presso gives the extra kick minus the sugar, Calpis in Tetra Pak

The Wonda Coffee range has a new family member – Extra Presso. Extra Presso is a signature brew and is available in the Malaysian market since December 2016.

Lowest sugar and stronger taste

What strikes me most about this Wonda Extra Presso is the level of sweetness. Apparently, Wonda Extra Presso has the lowest sugar content in the Wonda Coffee family with 14.2g of total sugar per 240ml. It also has a bitter dark taste developed for consumers seeking a stronger taste, according to the press release by Asahi Group Holdings, the parent company of Etika Group of Companies.

Wonda Coffee sales rose 183%

The same press release mentions sales of Wonda Coffee in Malaysia during the first 10 months of 2016 surged 183% year-on-year in terms of volume. This comes on the heels of the creative marketing by the Wonda Coffee team in the past years. The company plans to grow the sales of the Wonda brand by double-digit in 2017.

Calpis available in Tetra Pak

Interestingly, the press release also reveals Calpis, the cultured milk drink, is available in the Tetra Pak format since September 2016 targeting at schools and traditional stores.

What Mini Me thinks

The stronger taste and lower sugar content of Wonda Extra Presso shows Wonda Coffee is moving towards becoming more attune to the taste profile of sophisticated coffee drinkers. The new variant also expands the consumer base to include consumers who prefer a nice balance in the sweetness in their coffee in part to adjust to the growing health-consciousness of Malaysian consumers.

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