Coca-Cola
Swire Coca-Cola Ltd. In China is building a new plant costing 2 billion yuan in Suzhou, in China's Jiangsu Province. It covers 116,000 square meters, will house 13 production lines and will be the regional sales headquarters for east China. Completion is expected by the end of 2025. The new plant will be highly automated and incorporate cloud services, big data technology and green/ low-carbon production. Swire Coca-Cola operates 25 plants on the Chinese mainland.
Coca-Cola's creative journey, launched under the banner of "Real Magic" in 2021, has taken the brand into AI-driven marketing and storytelling. Speaking at Brandweek in Miami, Coca-Cola's North American marketing chief, Shakir Moin, discussed the brand's commitment to stay agile in a rapidly changing world, implementing "network marketing" to foster global collaboration among their marketers. Moin emphasized the need to embrace constant change and adapt to emerging technologies like generative AI. The company showcased its AI-powered campaign, "Masterpiece," which brought art to life in a gallery setting. Coca-Cola's recent AI-driven creation, Y3000 Zero Sugar, exemplifies their commitment to innovation.
Other Companies
A new co-branded beverage matches olive oil with sparkling water as a non-alcoholic martini. It’s the result of a discussion between the CEOs of olive oil brand Graza and herbal sparkling water brand Aura Bora. It’s a zero-proof drink containing Extra Virgin Picual Olive Oil, yuzu extract, juniper oil, vermouth flavor and lightly sparkling water. Aura Bora, which featured on Shark Tank, sells sparkling waters with flavors from herbs, fruits and flowers in 7,500 stores in the US. As well as its core products – such as lemongrass coconut, strawberry basil, peppermint watermelon and cactus rose – it also offers seasonal and limited-edition cans for its flavor-of-the-month subscription program. Graza launched in 2022 and sells single-origin oils using Spanish Picual olives.
Mintel's partnership with Applied Food Sciences has looked at the growing significance of nootropics in the beverage industry, heralded as "the future of caffeine." Nootropics, known for enhancing cognitive functions like focus, memory and stress management, are becoming increasingly sought after by consumers. Beverages are the preferred delivery system for these functional ingredients, but the number of new product introductions referencing "nootropics" is growing strongly. The research reveals a strong consumer demand for cognitive support, with 42 percent of US consumers seeking food and drinks that enhance focus and 72 percent interested in cognitive-enhancing benefits. Caffeine remains the most popular nootropic, but consumers want options that provide the benefits without the jitters. The challenge for producers is to make consumers more aware of ingredients like guayusa, just one botanical ingredient with cognitive benefits.
In Ireland, Britvic has announced a €6 million investment to increase production at its Ballygowan plant, growing capacity by 20 percent, representing additional capacity to bottle 50 million 500ml fully recycled and recyclable Ballygowan bottles. It follows a recent announcement that the company will spend £22.5 million on expanding output of its Beckton facility in east London.
Chamberlain Coffee aims to build its base beyond Gen Z. Co-founded in 2020 by YouTube star Emma Chamberlain, it launched online offering whole bean coffee bags and then single-serve pouches and Keurig pod coffee and matcha powder. The brand collected over 360 million TikTok views and in June 2023 secured $7 million funding to support the launch of ready-to-drink dairy-free lattes in cans, with flavors like Mocha, Cinnamon Bun, Vanilla and Cold Brew. They were rolled out to Walmart exclusively a few months ago. Its strategy for broadening its appeal is based on highlighting the better-for-you attributes of its lattes on Walmart shelves. Its almond and coconut milk products contain only one gram of sugar. The brand also highlights sustainability as a priority, and it’s leveraging collaborations, such as one with Swoon for the 2022 launch of Matcha Lemonade.
“Healthier” prebiotic soda Olipop is on track to beat $200 million in sales by the 2023. Founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin, David Lester and $100,000, it sold nearly $900,000 in the first year across some 40 North California stores. It’s now available nationwide and favored by younger consumers. Its flavors are similar to many popular soda brands but contains 2-5 grams less sugar per can than many soda brands and provides 9 grams of fiber, aligning with the growing awareness of gut health. The brand name came from a group of prebiotic fibers called oligosaccharides. It launched three flavors in 2019 - ginger lemon, strawberry vanilla and cinnamon cola – and secured $2.5 million in a seed funding in the same year. 2022 saw a series B funding round of almost $40 million, backed by Gwyneth Paltrow, Mindy Kaling and the Jonas Brothers. New flavors have joined the original lineup. Distribution now reaches over 23,000 US stores with 30,000 expected by year end.
VP of marketing at Spindrift, Sue Kim, says the brand aims to innovate to address growing demand for new sparkling water occasions. Spindrift has no added sugar or sweeteners, but does have “delicious taste, and color, and aroma, [and] the full sensory experience of fruit.” It has released several tea flavors and has a non-alcoholic mojito called Nojito. Kim says there’s still a lot of white space to explore in “familiar beverage categories”. Spindrift recently re-released Spiced Apple Cider and Cranberry Raspberry flavors nationwide at Target and regionally in other stores including Fred Meyer and King Sooper Safeway.
From October 1, Red Bull Winter Edition Spiced Pear will appear on the shelves offering a blend of pear and cinnamon, tapping into the insight that new flavors drive new shoppers to energy drinks. In 2022, the Red Bull Editions lineup was the fastest-growing sub-brand for new buyers. The launch includes 250ml, 250ml PMP and 355ml Sugarfree and will be supported by tailored POS.