Home Blog Page 12

Exploring the potential of puffed corn kernels for the Southeast Asian snacking market

For brands seeking fresh snacking formats, puffed corn kernels present an innovative option — delivering a satisfying crunch without the soft, airy texture of popcorn. At SIAL Shanghai 2026, we sampled Power Corn, a baked corn snack that stood out for its texture  This format feels particularly well‑suited to Southeast Asian consumers, who are eager for crunchy experiences that go beyond the familiar popcorn profile.

Image credit: Minimesinsights.com

The snack can be positioned as baked — crafted without added oil — yet still delivering the satisfying crunch consumers expect.

 

Dutch Lady x Tealive Signature Flavoured Milk debuts with viral potential

Image credit: Dutch Lady

Dutch Lady Malaysia has teamed up with Tealive, the country’s leading lifestyle tea brand, to unveil the Dutch Lady x Tealive Signature Flavoured Milk. This eye‑catching collaboration is designed to spark consumer buzz and potentially go viral, blending Dutch Lady’s trusted milk quality with Tealive’s iconic milk tea identity.

Image credit: Dutch Lady

The new range features Milk Tea and Matcha variants, offering a fusion of indulgence and familiarity that appeals to both loyal Tealive fans and mainstream dairy consumers. By bridging café culture with packaged convenience, the partnership positions Dutch Lady to capture new consumption occasions and strengthen its relevance among younger, trend‑driven audiences.

Tipco brings Amphawa freshness to bottles with100% NFC coconut water

Image credit: Tipco

Tipco has launched 100% NFC (Not From Concentrate) coconut water in Thailand. The coconuts are sourced from Amphawa — a region renowned for producing high‑quality, naturally sweet coconuts — ensuring authenticity and premium taste. Packaged in PET bottles, this new product allows consumers to enjoy the freshness of coconut water conveniently.

Eastroc brings fruity tea to Thailand

Image credit: Eastroc

Eastroc (Dongpeng), a Chinese beverage company best known for its energy drinks, has recently introduced its RTD fruity tea range in Thailand as part of its Southeast Asian expansion. Marketed under the ‘果之Tea’ (Guo Zhi Tea) label, the lineup features Lemon Black Tea, White Peach Oolong and Grapefruit Jasmine Tea and area available at Tops Supermarket.

For Chinese brands entering overseas markets, effective localization is critical — packaging and communication must be adapted to ensure clarity and cultural resonance. Brand names and visual aesthetics need to be tailored to local preferences, helping avoid misinterpretation and strengthening consumer connection in competitive retail environments.

Dum Dum expands into packaged drinks

Image credit: klikindomaret

Dum Dum, a leading Indonesian food and beverage chain best known for Dum Dum Thai Drinks, has recently expanded into the retail channel with packaged versions of its signature milk tea.

The Thai‑inspired Dum Dum Milk Tea Royal (330ml) and Dum Dum Milk Tea Choco (330ml) not only extend the brand’s reach but also broaden its consumer base beyond foodservice.

This move reflects a wider trend of popular beverage chains in Indonesia transitioning into packaged formats, leveraging their strong brand equity to capture at‑home consumption occasions.

Southeast Asia is receptive to Korean olle shot trend

Image credit: itsabetterday

The Olle Shot (올레 샷) trend — a morning wellness routine combining olive oil and lemon juice — has gained significant traction in South Korea and is worth monitoring, as similar concepts are likely to be adopted in Southeast Asia.

Popularized by K‑pop idols such as IVE’s Jang Wonyoung, the routine involves consuming a shot of extra virgin olive oil mixed with fresh lemon juice to support digestion, promote detoxification and enhance skin radiance.

Consuming the Olle Shot with olive oil is also associated with the Mediterranean diet, which is widely recognized for its links to longevity and overall health.

Celebrity endorsements, together with associations to beauty, longevity, and overall health, make the Olle Shot an appealing concept for Southeast Asian consumers.

Ally Clear Protein ushers in creatine trend

Image credit: Ally

Thailand’s non‑alcoholic beverage sector has now fully embraced the protein trend, with Ally, a plant-based protein meal replacement brand, emerging as the latest entrant. The new Ally Clear Protein Drink, offered in apple and grape flavors, delivers a comprehensive blend of protein, creatine, L‑carnitine and BCAA — formulated to support energy, strength and recovery for everyday activities.

  • Protein 30g — helps build and repair muscles
  • Creatine 1,000mg — boosts strength and workout power
  • BCAA 2g — helps reduce muscle fatigue
  • L‑Carnitine 250mg — helps convert fat into energy
  • No Sugar — refreshing without added sugar

Ally Clear Protein is one of the few brands in Thailand to incorporate creatine into its protein beverage offering.

We anticipate that creatine will represent the next major wave in functional nutrition, following protein’s mainstream adoption, with creatine poised to become a widely accepted ingredient. Creatine complements protein by enhancing performance capacity and recovery, creating a compelling “muscle + performance” duo.

Cộng Cà Phê partners with Oishi Vietnam to bring coconut coffee flavour into packaged snacks

Image credit: Cong Caphe

Cộng Cà Phê has partnered with Oishi Vietnam to introduce the Oishi Pillows Snack with Coconut Coffee Filling — a packaged snack inspired by Cộng Cà Phê’s iconic national drink.

Cộng Cà Phê is a Vietnamese coffeehouse chain founded in Hanoi in 2007, known for its nostalgic, retro‑Vietnamese design and signature drinks like coconut coffee. It has grown to over 100 locations across Vietnam and expanded internationally to South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Canada.

This innovation combines the duo of ‘sweet and creamy’ with ‘smoothly bitter,’ now available nationwide at grocery stores. It exemplifies how foodservice‑inspired flavours can successfully translate into packaged formats.

Mini Me Insights had previously identified coconut coffee as a promising flavor opportunity in an article published in September 2025, underscoring the relevance of this launch.

Auntie Anne’s Singapore unveils Super Cheese Pretzel

Image credit: Auntie Anne's Singapore

Auntie Anne’s Singapore has launched the Super Cheese Pretzel, a nostalgic twist dusted with cheese. Evoking the familiar sweet‑and‑savoury flavour many grew up enjoying — reminiscent of popular snacks like Super Ring, though not officially referenced in brand communications — this warm pretzel delivers cheesy indulgence fresh from the oven.

Between Traffic, Deadlines and Burnout, Spritzer Wants Malaysians to ‘Flow With Joy’ Again

Malaysia’s leading bottled water brand is starting a conversation around softer, more intentional living through a new movement inspired by the emotional realities of modern Malaysian life

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 MAY 2026 – Somewhere between rushing to work, replying to messages, chasing deadlines, sitting in traffic, and trying to strive, many Malaysians have forgotten how to simply breathe, slow down and enjoy it all. People have been taught on how to keep moving but not always how to move through it meaningfully. Spritzer wants to start a different conversation.

This year, Malaysia’s leading bottled water brand, introduces Flow With Joy, a new movement inspired by a simple but deeply human belief that life becomes lighter when experienced with more intention, clarity and joy.

For over 30 years, Spritzer has quietly been part of countless Malaysian moments, on dining tables during family meals, in office pantries during long workdays, in gym bags, road trips, school canteens and everyday routines.

But as life became faster, louder, and more demanding, Spritzer began reflecting on a bigger role it could play beyond simply helping them stay hydrated.

Flow With Joy was created in response to the growing emotional exhaustion many Malaysians go through today where stress, pressure, burnout and constant demands have become normalised.

“At Spritzer, we realised many people are constantly functioning, constantly pushing forward, but emotionally running on empty,” said Shiao Chan, Head of Marketing, Spritzer Malaysia.

“There’s so much pressure today to always be productive, always be available, always be doing more. Somewhere along the way, many people stopped allowing themselves to simply enjoy life as they are living it.

“That was the heart behind Flow With Joy. We wanted to create something that reminds Malaysians that joy doesn’t only occur in major milestones. Sometimes it exists in the quiet moments we often overlook, like a walk outdoors, a meaningful conversation, a quiet pause, a breath. These matter too.”

Instead of encouraging drastic lifestyle changes or unattainable wellness ideals, Flow With Joy embraces a gentler, more realistic approach to wellbeing. One centred around more mindful everyday habits and reconnecting with the simple rhythms of daily rituals.

“Being Malaysia’s number one hydration brand was never the finish line for us,” Shiao added.

“We’ve spent decades being part of Malaysians’ daily routines. Now, we want Spritzer to be part of something deeper by helping people become lighter, more present, more connected, and more joyful.”

Flow With Joy reflects something many Malaysians have quietly been feeling; that life has become so busy, we often forget to fully experience it while we are living it. 

Inspired by familiar moments of movement, rest, reflection, and connection, Spritzer’s new cinematic film (available in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese versions) is a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate the ordinary parts of life a little more deeply.

Throughout the year, Flow With Joy will continue to unfold through stories, collaborations, and everyday experiences designed to remind Malaysians that wellbeing does not have to be complicated or out of reach.

Malaysians can look forward to community activities such as hiking with partnering outdoor group So Hikers, as well as Runliga by running community platform BiiB, with other lifestyle communities slated. On the digital side, Spritzer will introduce the “Capture Your Flow” contest, where participants can win Spritzer products, limited-edition merchandise, and wellness rewards by sharing their Flow With Joy moments.

The platform will also include activations designed to reach busy workers and students during their daily routines, bringing small moments of pause and connection into their week. In addition, Flow With Joy promotions will run at selected retail outlets from 1st to 31st May.

Malaysians are encouraged to stay tuned to Spritzer’s social media channels and the Flow With Joy digital hub at spritzer.com.my/flow-with-joy for upcoming activities and to share their own moments using #FlowWithJoy. 

Ultimately, Flow With Joy is not about doing more, becoming someone else, or chasing perfection. It is about rediscovering what it means to be more present.

“If Flow With Joy can help Malaysians feel even slightly lighter at the end of a long day, more connected to themselves, or more intentional about living, then that is something meaningful for us. Because sometimes, the smallest shift in how we navigate life can change the way it unfolds altogether,” said Shiao

HOT NEWS

NEX Celebrates SG60 with Local Snack-Themed Plushies, Art Jamming Sessions, and...

0
From 18 July to 31 August, NEX celebrates Singapore’s 60th birthday with a festive lineup that includes adorable collectibles, art jamming, pop-ups, and exciting...

MUST READ

Marrybrown’s Mural Brings New Life to ‘Red House’ at Jalan Tan...

0
The first QSR to open its outlet in one of Malaysia’s significant cultural spots elevated the heritage Nyonya architectural-style building with a brand-new look.  JOHOR...