The new Yeo’s Oceanic Pineapple and Lime Drink reminds me of the current fad for Japanese salty drink. In China, Uni-President China’s Haizhiyan (海之言), launched in 2014, has been a phenomenal success. It fills the gap between juice and water and is positioned as “cooling you down.” Sales of the juice-flavoured functional drink Haizhiyan was reported to have reached CNY 1 billion in the first half of 2015. In 2015, the combined sales of Haizhiyan and Classmate Xiaoming RTD tea stood at more than CNY 2.5 billion.
Haizhiyan uses Mediterranean sea salt and mixing it with juice and helps to replenish sodium lost through perspiration. Yeo’s Oceanic range features Australian sea salt for natural hydration. It is interesting to see if salty drink makes it way into Malaysia because there is a potential market for low-sugared functional drink with an interesting mild salty taste. At the moment, Yeo’s Oceanic range is only available in Singapore.
