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Carlsberg Red Barley Back for The Reds

Carlsberg unites Liverpool FC fans with more of its special-edition commemorative brew

SHAH ALAM, 11 September 2019 – Carlsberg Malaysia is paying tribute to the indomitable spirit of Liverpool FC with 2,500 bottles of its special-edition Carlsberg Red Barley for the second time this year, in response to the overwhelming enthusiasm from Malaysian fans.

Carlsberg Red Barley is a visually stunning beer, inspired by legendary Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly when he made the iconic decision in 1964 to dress his players in all red – making them “look like giants… and… play like giants” in his words, winning the FA Cup for the first time at Wembley six months later. Not only is the Carlsberg Red Barley bottle, label and cap red, the beer itself is a crimson red!

Unlike other ‘red’ beers such as red ales or beers with fruit added, Carlsberg Red Barley is a special-edition 4.5% ABV (alcohol by volume) pilsner that gets its distinctive colour from a barley variety that is specially curated and bred by the scientists at the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, giving it the clean, crisp and slightly hoppy taste expected from a traditional pilsner.

Due to the barley’s commercial rarity, Carlsberg Red Barley was produced in very limited quantities for the global market, with only a handful of bottles offered via lucky draw at selected outlets in Malaysia during The Reds championship-winning finals against Tottenham Hotspur in June.

Ted Akiskalos, Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said, “Carlsberg’s support of Liverpool FC since 1992 represents the longest-lasting partnership in the Premier League. We heard you, fans in Malaysia, and we have pulled together to bring in more of this collectible brew which deserves a place on any trophy cabinet as a tribute to the Reds.”

Liverpool FC fans can look forward to collect this commemorative brew simply by enjoying Probably The Best Beer at more than 80 outlets nationwide in conjunction with Probably The Best Football Viewing Parties.

Consumers who purchase three big bottles of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner or Carlsberg Smooth Draught at participating coffeeshops and restaurants as well as Carlsberg drinkers at participating bars, pubs and bistros will receive a game card and stand to win the special-edition Carlsberg Red Barley at Probably The Best Football Viewing Parties between 14 September to 28 September 2019, coinciding with Liverpool FC’s matches with Newcastle, Chelsea, and Sheffield United.

No one is excluded from the red fever as Carlsberg will also run an online contest across Malaysia to award 5 lucky winners with the iconic red brew, which will come with the new Carlsberg premium stem glass and in a collector’s gift box that opens to reveal a video tribute to The Reds in the lid! Simply like and follow the Carlsberg MY Facebook page and look out for your chance to win!

“We’re incredibly proud to be part of the Liverpool FC family for decades with Probably The Best Partnership in the Premier League. As two iconic names, Carlsberg and the Club are as inseparable as the enjoyment of our quality brews alongside the beautiful game, and we hope fans enjoy Carlsberg Red Barley as much as we went all red for The Reds,” added Akiskalos.

For more details on Carlsberg Red Barley, contest mechanics and participating outlets, visit www.probablythebest.com.my or the Carlsberg MY Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CarlsbergMY.

Aura Mineral Water launches upcycling initiative

The Aura Mineral Water brand of Thailand’s Tipco is encouraging consumers to upcycle used plastic bottles. Upcycling is the new approach towards a sustainable future. The discarded materials (ie mineral water bottles) are reused to create a product of higher quality or value than the original such as a shirt as in the example of Aura Mineral Water’s upcycling program.

To encourage consumers to upcycle their bottles, consumers can earn points from each bottle. They can then use the points to redeem a free mineral water or a shirt made from recycled plastic for the lucky few.

Mobile upcycling machines. Image by Aura Mineral Water
Image credit: Minimeinsights.com

The program uses the Refun machine, which is being used by PTT, Central World and other entities to collect plastic waste.

New F&N Plus Fresh Milk with Kurma positioned as creamy, delicious and full of goodness

F&N Foods Singapore has joined the kurma bandwagon with the launch of F&N Magnolia Plus Fresh Milk with Kurma.

Milk with dates (kurma) has been driving the milk category in Malaysia. Now, most of the major dairy brands in Malaysia including Farm Fresh, Goodday, Marigold and Summerfield have launched their own date milk with the exception of Fonterra and F&N Magnolia. In Indonesia, Fonterra’s Anlene brand does encourage consumers to blend its Anlene chocolate milk with kurma during Ramadan.

F&N made a strategic choice of rolling out Magnolia Plus Fresh Milk with Kurma in Singapore first instead of launching it in Malaysia where competition is rife. Competitor Farm Fresh has already made available its Kurma Milk in Singapore.

In Singapore, the new fresh milk with kurma from F&N is positioned as creamy, delicious and full of goodness. It is also a great source of energy and iron. This positioning helps to make kurma milk suitable for everyday consumption and moves away from being fixated on Ramadan where kurma is traditionally consumed to break the fast.

Thai dairy companies roll out more indulgent flavoured milk

F&N Dairies (Thailand) Limited has added a new caramel flavoured milk under the F&N Magnolia Plus Ginkgo range. The existing flavours include chocolate and plain.

F&N Magnolia Plus Ginkgo contains Ginkgo biloba extract and is high in vitamin B12 that are beneficial to the brain and help strengthen memory. It also has up to 30% calcium to help maintain strong bones.

CP-Meiji Thailand, meanwhile, has reformulated its Meiji Pasteurized Choco Malt Flavoured Milk with a lower sugar formula. The drink combines the combines the delicious taste from 2 sources – the chocolate-flavoured milk and rich malt extract. The reformulated drink has 21g of sugar/200ml compared with 25g/200ml previously.

Brahim’s enters ready-to-eat porridge segment

Dewina Holdings Sdn Bhd, the maker of Brahim’s, Malaysia’s leading ready-to-eat (RTE) meal, has launched RTE porridge. Available in two variants – Chicken Rice Porridge (Bubur Ayam) and Savoury Rice Porridge (Bubur Lambuk), the porridge series comes in a retort pack that is microweable and is ready to eat in 1 minute.

The halal-certified porridge does not contain preservatives and is low in calorie. The 250g pack is suitable for one person.

Brahim’s Bubur Lambuk (153kcal) contains meat pieces, potato, carrot and wild betel, while Brahim’s Bubur Ayam (158kcal) is made with chicken pieces, carrot and spring onion.

The porridge is currently showcased at Halfest JAKIM 2019, Malaysia’s largest halal food and beverage expo (4-8 September 2019).

Brahim’s Bubur Lambuk ais available for purchase on Shopee at a discounted price of RM 5.5 per pack (normal price RM 5.90). Brahim’s Bubur Ayam has the same price and can be bought on Shopee too at RM 5.5 per pack.

In our opinion, the next phase of Brahim’s entry into the RTE porridge segment is to tap the baby food market with RTE porridge suitable for infant aged 6 months and above. Such products are already available in Vietnam.

FamilyMart Malaysia rolls out new mobile app

FamilyMart Malaysia has finally introduced its first mobile app to provide consumers with special savings as well as members exclusive deals. With the app, FamilyMart customers can access welcome rewards, birthday rewards and the chance to accumulate Famipoints.

Across the region, Familymart mobile app is available in countries like Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand.

The “locate” feature in the FamilyMart Malaysia app provides the most up-to-date information on the closest FamilyMart near you. By downloading the app, members can get exclusive 50% off Hojicha softserve/milkshake. The mobile app also serves as a one-stop destination for updates on new launches from FamilyMart Malaysia.

Unlike the myNEWS.com app, the FamilyMart app does not have ane-wallet function.

With FamilyMart jumping on board the mobile app bandwagon, 7-Eleven Malaysia is now left as the only leading convenience store chain without any mobile app.

Dunkin’ Donuts Sets its Sight on Shopee to enhance its E-Commerce Journey

Dunkin’ Donuts Malaysia Aims to Secure Larger Wallet Share by Building Up its e-Commerce Presence

KUALA LUMPUR 5 September 2019: It is no longer a brick-and-mortar versus online store for Dunkin’ Donuts Malaysia.

The donut chain recently expanded its trade channel with Shopee, the no.1 online shopping platform in Malaysia. The aim was to provide consumers with the best and seamless online to offline experience to strengthen overall customer engagement and brand affinity.

“Our e-commerce journey started in September last year, when we first launched our online store. We then engaged with online food and beverage technology startups such as Foodpanda and Grab to enhance our customer’s experience.

“We are seeing some traction in e-commerce with delivery sales contributing close to 10% of the overall sales for outlets that offer delivery,” said Jesrina Liew, Dunkin’ Donuts Group General Manager.

She added that customers today view online and offline operations through a single lens, and it should no longer be the case of brick-and-mortar versus online store for food and beverage (F&B) businesses.

Liew said that while consumers’ media consumption has changed to that of mobile first and their growing appreciation towards the vast inventory that is now readily available online, they are still drawn to the tactile experience of brick-and-mortar outlets, even more so, when it comes to F&B. Therefore, convergence of the two channels into one business plan is essential.

“Hence, we think that online marketplaces such as Shopee, with their innovative and aggressive marketing tactics such as the 7.7 Orange Madness and 9.9 Super Shopping Day campaigns can offer complementary benefits to traditional brick-and-mortar outlets such as ours.

“Taking the example of the 9.9 Super Shopping Day – we estimate that the platform traffic would increase by four times and we hope that our attractive promo of RM0.99 per donut, in addition to deals on beverages and merchandise, would gain more visibility through this partnership,” she said.

Ian Ho, Shopee Regional Managing Director said, “The F&B deals under Shopee’s Ticket and Vouchers category is a newly-introduced segment. We started off first by featuring hotel and cafe dining deals before introducing this new segment.  We find that the customer base for F&B deals is increasing by the day. Given the positive response, we realised that there is nothing to stop us from partnering with F&B chains like Dunkin’ Donuts.”

Ever since launching its official store on Shopee on 26 June 2019, Dunkin’ Donuts has seen extremely positive response from Malaysians. It has sold over 5,000 donuts online during the 7.7 Orange Madness campaign and the on-going 9.9 Super Shopping Day that will end on 9 September. On top of that, the Chocolate and Coffee beverage deals were a favourite.

Additionally, the store is charting an increase in daily orders during the 9.9 Super Shopping Day, as compared to the 7.7 Orange Madness campaign. To illustrate, the 9-donut voucher deal was snapped up in three days, generating a 1.6 times increase from the previous campaign.

Shopee commends Dunkin’ Donuts for taking a big step and expanding its footprint online because it is no easy feat. Ho said, “Its growth on Shopee is attributed to several factors, from the convenience of redemption process to the online exclusive deals and discounts that provide for a great bargain. More importantly, the donut chain has the readiness in technology and resources to tap and market their products and brand to consumers they previously did not have access to.”

“We are ever ready to assist Dunkin’ Donuts, be it providing them with marketing solutions or co-organising campaigns to further reach its touchpoints across the country, effectively. Our list of assets is there for Dunkin’ Donuts to leverage on including homepage banners, Push Notifications and EDM blasts. There are also Shopee’s in-app features like the Shopee Quiz and Shopee Live that were introduced to bring brands closer to their customers, and boost engagement for a more rewarding shopping experience.”

Apart from the RM0.99 deal for a donut, Dunkin’ Donuts is in one of the 9.9 Super Shopping Day offers called the RM9.90 voucher pack. All users need to do is purchase the pack to enjoy vouchers from across various brands including Dunkin’ Donuts to be able to enjoy savings up to 17 times of their money spent.

From now till 9 September, the 9.9 Super Shopping Day will feature discounts up to 90%, and daily deals from as low as RM1 in its Shocking Sale and ONE OR NOT game. Users will also get to enjoy free shipping with a minimum spend of RM9.  

To enjoy a sweet deal from Dunkin’ Donuts, visit https://shopee.com.my/dunkindonutsmy.os

About Dunkin’ Donuts

Founded in 1950, and growing globally since 1970, Dunkin’ Donuts is the world’s leading coffee and baked goods chain. The brand has over 12,000 restaurants in 50 countries worldwide. Dunkin’ Donuts first established in Malaysia in 1987, and now operates almost 90 outlets in the country. It is on a mission to serve positive energy to customers, by offering quality food and beverages, and also excellent service.

Mengniu taps mass market with new YoyiC Milk Drink

Image from YoyiC Indonesia

Chinese dairy giant Mengniu has added a new range of flavoured milk under its YoyiC banner in Indonesia. The new YoyiC Milk Drink is made from imported New Zealand milk and is available in two flavours chocolate and strawberry.

Mengniu’s entry into the ambient milk segment comes after the company rolled out a comprehensive range of chilled yogurt including yogurt drink, probiotic drink and most recently spoonable yogurt. The ambient YoyiC Milk Drink will allow Mengniu to reach out to the mass market to circumvent the challenges faced by chilled dairy due to the under development of the chilled chain infrastructure in the country.

Celebrate 7-Eleven Flamin Festival with unique spicy snacks including mala snacks

7-Eleven Malaysia’s new Flamin Festival is interesting as it does not only celebrate Malaysian love for something spicy buy also introduces consumers to a wider varieties of spicy snacks and foods.

Notable new snacks for the Malaysian market include Koh-Kae Mala Peanut from Thailand, Eureka Hot & Spicy and Kimchi popcorn from Malaysia, Kusuka Keripik Talas Spicy Lime Leaves and Kusuka Singkong Super Pedass from Indonesia and Lay’s Hot Chili Squid Flavor from Thailand.

Also from Thailand are Tao Kae Noi Mala Seaweed Snack and Chilee Crispy Chilli Tom Yum Thai Flavour with Mixed Nuts. Chilee is a chilli skin snack, which is trending in Thailand at the moment.

Also new is the 7-Eleven own Aiskleem Roaring Limau with key lime with a hint of heat.

Apart from the familiar tom yum flavour, mala is likely to become the next thing in Malaysia. Malaysians are increasingly challenging themselves to the unique mala numbing taste, which has become a popular option in hotpot restaurants.

Lion Brewery craft beers can now be enjoyed in Cambodia; plans for experimental beers

Lion Brewery expands into Cambodia

Lion Brewery Co has started selling its craft beer in Cambodia from September 2019, said Will Julius, Lion Brewery Co General Manager – Asia Pacific, in an interview with Mini Me Insights.

Will Julius, Lion Brewery Co General Manager – Asia Pacific

Lion Brewery is a British heritage craft brewery reborn in London and Singapore and is known for its Straits Pale Ale (ABV 4.5%) and Island Lager (ABV 4.7%). Its mission is to produce exceptional tasting beer specifically for the warmer climates of Southeast Asia.

Julius said Lion Brewery is in talks with distributors and importers in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to make its craft beer available in more markets in the region.

The key criteria for expanding into a new market is to find the right partner, said Julius. As a new start-up and being 8 months, Lion Brewery does not have a large team. So it is important to ensure the partner shares the same value and goal, added Julius.

Strict quality control with a concern for the environment

Lion Brewery “does not cut any corners in their brewing in terms of sourcing high-quality ingredients and avoiding any and all chemicals throughout the brewing and filtration process”, explains Julius. The company is also trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible by minimising its carbon footprint and reducing plastic.

Singapore is a major market for Lion Brewery

Singapore is a key market for Lion Brewery and Straits Pale Ale is the company’s best-seller, if only by virtue of the fact it has a 6-month head start on the Island Lager, explains Julius. Island Lager was released in June 2019. Julius attributes the success of Lion Brewery’s craft beers in Singapore to the fact the beers are designed for drinking in the tropical climate. Consumers find the beers very refreshing without losing any integrity of flavour, said Julius.

Consumers deserve more beer choices

As the Lion Brewery Co General Manager – Asia Pacific, Julius feels “there has been a real growing awareness from consumers in Singapore that they deserve more choice when it comes to beer; not just the same bland commercial lagers available at every bar.”

The passion and creativity of other craft beer brewers in Southeast Asia is also helping to drive the scene. Julius added that the “beers created in this region are considered really high in quality and on a par with what’s being done around the world.”

Plans for experimental beer

Lion Brewery “wanted to start with their flagship beers that were very approachable, and bridged the gap between being very flavourful yet still easy to drink and sessionable,” said Julius.

The next step is to create beers that are a bit more experimental. He disclosed the company is “planning some collaborations with other breweries in the region, and to play around with the tastes of Southeast Asia and infuse them into these fun brews.”

Visit Lion Brewery Co for more information.

*All the images are provided by Lion Brewery Co

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