Nafoura kurma water, Indonesia’s first date beverage in ready-to-drink format, has unveiled two new flavours – honey and lime – to add to its existing original flavour.
The two new flavours were launched during the recent Ramadan in 2017 (May-June), said a PT Kieran Bahari Aksara executive at Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2017. PT Kieran Bahari Aksara is the producer of Nafoura kurma water and a unit of PT Trisinar Indopratama (Technoplast), one of Indonesia’s biggest producers of household products. According to an SWA article in March 2017, Nafoura sales in Java island is able to achieve 250,000 bottles per month since it was launched in 2016.
Main focus is on modern trade
Nafoura is currently focusing on the modern trade as the 500ml bottle is priced at IDR 7,000, which is a price that has exceeded the willingness of consumers in the general trade. According to the Kieran Bahari Aksara executive, general trade consumers are more willing to pay for a beverage that is priced between IDR 1,000 and IDR 5,000.
To improve the price appeal of Nafoura in the general trade, the company has introduced, also during Ramadan 2017, the 330ml bottle with a lower price than the 500ml format.
Now in Singapore
Nafoura kurma water is now available in Singapore and is distributed by Al Barakah.
Mini Me takeaway
Distribution and availability are always the essential factors to grow any new beverage product in Indonesia. The new flavours and the smaller format for the general trade could help to increase sales of Nafoura kurma water going forward.
However, the key risk for the marketing of kurma drink lies with the seasonality. Muslim consumers tend to associate kurma as the ideal drink to break fast during Ramadan as kurma or date is a good source of fibre, sugar, magnesium and potassium for those who are fasting. The key challenge is positioning kurma as a drink that can be consumed on a regular basis.
