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New Thai dessert flavoured milk from CP-Meiji

In paying homage to local Thai flavours, dairy major CP-Meiji has launched two new pasteurised milk featuring popular Thai desserts. The two new products are Nom Bua Loi Phuak (taro ball in coconut milk) and Ruam Mit dessert flavoured pasteurised milk.

Ruam mit is a popular Thai dessert made with ingredients such as coconut milk, sugar, tapioca pearls, corn, lotus root, sweet potatoes, beans and jackfruit.

Food and drink manufacturers are actively incorporating Thai flavours into their new products. Not only are Thai flavours popular locally, they also well received abroad. The use of Thai flavours can help unlock opportunities for brands to export overseas.

7-Eleven Vietnam sells pennywort juice

7-Eleven Vietnam has added a local drink pennywort (rau mĂĄ) into its in-store beverage menu. The pennywort (gotu kola) juice is available for VND 10,000 to VND 15,000 per cup.

Pennywort is popular in Vietnam as a refreshing drink. It tastes a bit grassy but is packed with goodness. According to an article on Saigon Times, pennywort has beta-carotene, saponin, alkaloid, saccharide, vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and K, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Pennyworth is good for the liver, spleen and stomach and for those with cardiovascular diseases.

However, pennywort is not recommended for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

The new pennywort juice at 7-Eleven Vietnam shows convenience store chains can tap into local popular beverages when looking for their next innovation idea.

A look inside Finelife premium grocer in Ho Chi Minh City

Image credit: Minimeinsights.com

Mini Me Insights had the chance to visit Saigon Co.op’s latest concept store Finelife in January 2020. Finelife is located in a modern residential area called Ha Do Centrosa Garden in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.

The 660 square metre supermarket has an upmarket concept featuring a wide range of imported items, a salad bar and a grocerant.

Unlike other supermarkets in Vietnam, Finelife is the first grocery store to use automatic on-shelf price tags, which ensures prices are up-to-date. According to news report, the store also comes with self-checked out counters but we did not notice it during the visit.

There is an in-store cafe D’Cafe for grocery shoppers who want a quick pick-me-up.

D’Cafe at Finelife. Image Credit: Minimeinsights.com

In line with the plant-based trend, Finelife carries a wide range of plant-based milk for consumers who are into the goodness of a plant-based diet.

Plant-based milk at Finelife. Image credit: Minimeinsights.com

There is a ready to cook section for busy shoppers. The fresh produce section is focused on organic products, befitting Fineline’s high-end status.

With Korean influence in food and drink strong in Vietnam, Finelife sells premium ginseng-based Korean health foods such as CheongKwanJang’s Hwa Ae Rak, a feminine health brand for the vitality of women experiencing menopause.

The household and beauty section has products suitable for the residential neighbourhood.

Finelife high-end supermarket concept is suitable for residential complex or area with a high concentration of expatriates and residents with higher levels of income.

7 Up Free debuts in Malaysia, Thailand

Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) is launching 7 Up Free, a sugar-free lemon-lime drink without colouring and calorie, reported the Bangkok Post. The soft drink maker also tentatively introduced Mirinda Green Cream Flavor in January 2020 and there will be a major launch for a new version of Mirinda in the second quarter of 2020.

Both 7 Up and Mirinda operate in smaller segments within the Thai carbonated soft drink market. In Thailand, Nielsen data shows cola drinks accounted for 71% of sales in 2019, followed by flavoured drinks at 23% and lemon-lime at 6%. In 2019, the entire carbonated soft drink category rose 12% to THB 56 billion, according to Nielsen data.

In Malaysia, Etika, the Pepsi bottler for Malaysia and Singapore, has just rolled out 7 Up Free. In the past, Etika has concentrated on promoting Pepsi Black, its zero calorie version of its flagship Pepsi brand, and now the attention has shifted to 7 Up. 7 Up Free is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium.

The Coca-Cola Co has previously made available Sprite Zero in the Malaysian market for a limited period but discontinued probably due to the lack of demand. With 7 Up Free coming into the market, it is interesting to see if The Coca-Cola Co will bring back Sprite Zero into the market.

F&N premiumises RTD tea with Oyoshi Gold

Image credit: Minimeinisights.com

F&N, the number one leading ready-to-drink green tea producer in Malaysia, has introduced Oyoshi Gold RTD tea. Oyoshi Gold is actually Oishi Gold, the premium RTD tea first launched by Thailand’s Oishi Plc in Thailand in December 2018.

The Oyoshi Gold range comprises Oyoshi Gold Kabusecha No Sugar and Oyoshi Gold Sencha No Sugar. Sencha is prepared by infusing the processed whole tea leaves in hot water.

Oyoshi Gold Kabusecha No Sugar uses 100% imported authentic kabusecha tea leaves from the famed Makinohara Plateau in Japan. Kabusecha is a shaded tea. Unlike gyokuru where the tea leaves are shielded from sunlight for at least 20 days, kabusecha is shaded for 7-10 days. The shading process allows the plant to retain more L-theanine, thus creating the savoury umami flavour, and lower the catechin content resulting in a tea that is rich and savory.

In Thailand, the RTD tea market is undergoing premiumisation as consumers upgrade to higher quality RTD tea with a strong focus on the quality of the tea leaves and with the low/no sugar attributes. The Malaysia RTD tea category is expected to undergo the same trajectory.

In Malaysia, Oyoshi Gold is priced at RM3.90 (380ml) at convenience store, which is higher compared to the RM2.70 price tag for the existing Oyoshi range (380ml).

NutriSari brand extends into smoothie

NutriSari, the leading instant powdered drink mix from Nutrifood Indonesia, has made available its latest mango smoothie in ready-to-drink (RTD) format. The NutriSari Mango Smoothie contains 100% of the daily vitamin C needs together with six other vitamins. The key ingredients in the new mango smoothie are mango, milk, chia seeds, coconut and honey. The mango smoothie comes in a 200ml carton pack.

The extension of the NutriSari brand into the RTD smoothie category is interesting as it allows NutriSari to climb the value ladder, while leveraging on the strong recognition of the NutriSari brand.

Fore Coffee x Promag launch stomach-friendly coffee

For coffee drinkers suffering from heartburn, Fore Coffee in Indonesia has collaborated with Promag to come up with a new plant-based coffee drink that is suitable for sufferers. Promag is the popular drug by Kalbe Farma to relieve ulcer, neutralize and protect your gastric longer from gastric acid.

The new creation Sobat Perih Cafe Latte is made from premium Arabica coffee beans that are less acidic as well as soy milk minus the lactose found in milk, which can be hard for some individuals to digest. A study by Kalbe Farma in January 2020 revealed 80% of people with heartburn did not experience any problem after drinking Sobat Perih Cafe Latte.

Even though there is no evidence Promag is used as an ingredient in the drink, Promag’s involvement is to lend credence to the coffee drink as a stomach-friendly coffee. In return, the new drink feeds into Promag’s consumer awareness program about heartburn. Using the new online tool called Promag Maag Meter, the brand highlights coffee and spicy food as some of the triggers of gastritis.

The partnership highlights how pharmaceutical brands and foodservice players can collaborate in the functional beverage space.

An update on goodmood infused water in Thailand, Malaysia

In Malaysia, Suntory has added blackcurrant flavour into its goodmood infused water range in early 2020. goodmood was first launched in the country in 2019 as part of goodmood’s grand roll out in Southeast Asia in 2019. The existing goodmood flavours in Malaysia are lemon honey and the natural tasting yogurt. Suntory first launched goodmood in Indonesia in 2017.

In Thailand, Suntory introduced goodmood in 2019 with high expectation for the brand. The company even invested THB270 million for an extension of the production line to support the launch of goodmood. According to Suntory Pepsico Beverage (Thailand), the drink is aimed at “modern adults in Bangkok and urban up-country who seek a healthier lifestyle.” The company also added that goodmood address “all-day hydration occasions with refreshing taste that brings enjoyment to plain water drinkers and a healthier choice option for sweet drink lovers.”

Suntory Beverage & Food did not provide any hint on the performance of goodmood in Thailand in its financial results for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2019. The company only mentioned briefly “The flavoured water goodmood, which had been well-received by consumers in Indonesia, was launched in Thailand and Vietnam.” The credit went to the core product Pepsi, which grew strongly in Thailand, resulting in revenue rising close to 20%. Could it be goodmood did not meet performance expectation in Thailand?

Goodmood selling at THB15 at 7-Eleven. Image credit: Minimeinsights.com

Suntory has also recently lowered the price of goodmood in Thailand at 7-Eleven to THB15 from THB20 per bottle to ensure the price is close to that of Nestle Pure Life Flavoured Sparkling Water (THB14) to ensure the brand is close the “water plus” category. The revised price sets goodmood apart from Danone B’lue (THB25) and Aquafina Bio (THB20), which are more functional in nature.

est cola market share at 10.3%, campaign to strengthen est as perfect companion for meals

Thai Drinks Co., Ltd., the maker of est cola, reported it has maintained a market share of 10.3% in the carbonated soft drink (CSD) market in Thailand in 2019, said Ms. Jesdakorn Ghosh, Vice President – Marketing, Thai Drinks Co., Ltd. Thanks to the hot summer of 2019, the overall Thai CSD market grew by 9.1% year-on-year, which represented strong growth given the CSD category in other markets was facing sluggish growth, making Thailand a bright spot for CSD.

According to the press release, est returnable glass bottles, which is environmentally friendly as it helps reduce the use of plastic, was a key driver in securing a 24.2% share of the Food Service Restaurants (FSR) channel. est saw 17.8% growth in the FSR channel during the campaign that ran from January until May 2019, which is above market average.

Thai Drinks said it will allocate THB80 million for its Year of Golden Rat’s summer campaign to boost consumption of soft drinks in returnable glass bottles with its “est Cola, Real Star of the Meal.” The campaign “builds on a previous campaign by creating consumption opportunities for est cola to make it the perfect companion for meals.”

“the Superstar Squad, comprised of ‘Boy’ Pakorn, ‘Great’ Warintorn, ‘Alek’ Teeradetch, and ‘James’ Jirayu, will travel around the country to add a fizzy and refreshing feeling to people’s meals in locations including Bangkok, Nakorn Pathom, Chonburi, Ratchburi, Chumphon, and Nakhon Ratchasima, from February through May 2020.”

Shabushi By OISHI meals can now be enjoyed at home

Foodpanda, the first online food and beverage delivery service in Thailand, announced on 19 February 2020 that it has entered into a partnership with Shabushi By OISHI to bring popular Shabu-Shabu meals directly to customer’s doorsteps.

“This initial launch will cover Bangkok and vicinity and then expand into 4 more regions in the next phase. From now until 31 March 2020, with a minimum per order value of THB 50, there is no delivery service charge. Currently foodpanda has more than 35,000 restaurants on its platform,” said Mr. Chananun Panchasarp, Head of Sales of foodpanda Thailand.

Haidilao has already made it possible to enjoy hotpot at home, while Heineken has introduced Draught@Home service. Bringing shabu-shabu meals into the home is another next step to make complex meals enjoyable in the comfort of one’s home. It also opens up the market for foodservice and meal delivery companies to more effectively serve diners especially during festive seasons or celebratory events.

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