Coca-Cola Plus Coffee launched in Vietnam

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7th April 2018

Coca-Cola Việt Nam has always been the early adopter of new innovation. The soft drink company recently launched Coca-Cola Plus Coffee (Coca-Cola thêm Cà Phê nguyên chất) combining pure coffee and the iconic coke.

First launched in Japan

Coca-Cola Coffee Plus, a drink with 50% more caffeine and 50% fewer calories, was first launched in Japan in September 2017 as a vending machine exclusive drink.

Followed by Australia but without sugar

In Australia, the drink is known as Coca-Cola Plus Coffee No Sugar and was launched in the same month as Coca-Cola Coffee Plus in Japan. Unlike the Japanese version, the Australian version is a sweet but sugar free beverage. The coffee flavor was derived from 100% Brazilian coffee beans.

This limited-edition drink is for the summer occasion. Coral Colyer, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Manager at Coca-Cola South Pacific, said the company “wanted to replicate as much of that joyful feeling of a cup of coffee as much as possible, but with the summer fun of serving Coca-Cola ice cold.”

Coca-Cola Coffee Plus in Vietnam contains a lower amount of sugar at 5g per 100ml serving compared with 10.5g for an ordinary can of coke. In addition, Coca-Cola Coffee Plus also has higher amount of caffeine at 13mg to stimulate the mind for those who need the mental alertness.

https://www.facebook.com/684491471670573/videos/1542630892523289/

In Vietnam, Coca-Cola Coffee Plus comes in 330ml can and 390ml PET bottle.

Previous launches

Coca-Cola Việt Nam previously introduced Coca-Cola Ginger (vị gừng) in 2017. The same beverage was first launched in Australia in December 2016 and was marketed as the “taste of summer.” In Japan, Coca-Cola Ginger was introduced in January 2017 and was sold as a warming drink during the winter season as ginger is equated as a warming compound. This demonstrates Coca-Cola Việt Nam tends to be a key destination for new and exiting innovation in the sparking category in the region.

What Mini Me thinks

Coffee has become a key thrust for The Coca-Cola Company to rejuvenate growth in the Asia Pacific region. The rising consumption of coffee has created a demand for coffee including RTD coffee and this opportunity is captured by Georgia Coffee’s fresh coffee or canned coffee. The new fizzy Coca-Cola Coffee Plus, meanwhile, is for consumers who want a new experience in drinking coffee as a treat.

C2 Cool & Clean RTD tea gets a fresher look

By

Tan Heng Hong

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5th April 2018

In March 2018, URC refreshed the packaging of C2 Cool & Clean. This RTD tea enjoys an 82% market share, according to the company’s first sustainability report released in early 2018.

https://www.facebook.com/C2CoolandClean/videos/1803536346357042/

The C2 logo and the product descriptions were given a bolder look to make them more visible.

Freshness is emphasised with the on-pack statement mentioning it is “brewed and bottled on the same day” to lock in the benefits. C2 is made from 100% natural green tea leaves sourced from farmers in Vietnam. The sugar comes from URC’s own milling operations.

Old packaging. Photo Credit: URC C2 Facebook page

URC C2 is available in Classic Green Tea, Green Tea Apple, Green Tea Lemon, Green Tea Dalandan, Green Tea Melon and Red Tea Raspberry. The sizes are 230ml, 355ml, 500ml and 1 Liter to cater to whatever occasion.

Beli & Vroom Vroom Your Way to Winning Attractive Prizes!

By

Tan Heng Hong

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5th April 2018

Kuala Lumpur, 3 April 2018 – 7-Eleven Malaysia, the largest convenience store chain in the country has launched its latest Beli & Vroom Vroom Contest! The contest is available in Peninsular Malaysia excluding Langkawi, and submissions for Round 1 are now open from 3 to 30 April; followed by Round 2, which will commence from 1 to 28 May 2018.

Entering the contest would be a breeze for participants as they are only are required to spend RM7 and above in a single receipt on participating partners’ product – not including in-store service payment, reload, gift cards, tobacco & tobacco related accessories – and fill in the contest form. Once completed, they will have to attach the contest form with the original receipt and hand in their entry to the cashier at any 7-Eleven store. Participants can increase their odds of winning by submitting more entries!

More than RM90,000 worth of prizes are up for grabs with nine motorcycles to be won for each contest round. For Round 1, winners will ‘ride’ home a brand new Honda Dash 110 FI R2 motorbike and for Round 2 winners, the Yamaha EGO Avantiz 125.

Ronan Lee, General Marketing Manager of 7-Eleven Malaysia said, “Together with the Beli & Vroom Vroom Contest, we are also offering exclusive deals on our participating partner products. Customers can enjoy double the benefits as they are able to increase savings by purchasing participating partner products from our stores and stand a chance to win fantastic prizes as well.”

He added, “We want our customers to feel rewarded when they shop with us, and we strive to enhance their shopping experience by offering them the conveniences they need through contests like Beli & Vroom Vroom Contest; over-the-counter payment for utility bills and online shopping; introducing services for seamless transactions such as One2pay and Alipay; enjoy weekly deals from our Ohsem Mondays promotions, and redeem exclusive collectibles from our loyalty campaigns.”

For more information and contest terms & conditions, please visit www.7eleven.com.my or Facebook at 7ElevenMalaysia.

About 7-Eleven Malaysia

7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad through its subsidiary 7-Eleven Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is the owner and operator of 7-Eleven stores in Malaysia. Incorporated on 4 June 1984, 7-Eleven Malaysia has made its mark in the retailing scene and have been a prominent icon for over 33 years. 7-Eleven Malaysia is the pioneer and largest 24-hours standalone convenience store operator in Malaysia with over 2,200 outlets nationwide and serves more than 900,000 customers daily. 7-Eleven stores can be found across bustling commercial districts to serene suburban residential compounds throughout Malaysia, from petrol stations and LRT stations to shopping malls and medical institutions. 7-Eleven is Always There For You.

Oishi Tea Go enters C2 turf

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

4th April 2018

Liwayway Holdings Company Limited, doing business as Oishi, recently introduced Oishi Tea Go. Available in 500ml in three flavours lemon, lemon calamansi and apple, Oishi Tea Go is most likely the company’s first move into the RTD tea segment in the Philippines.

Oishi’s current beverage lineup includes Smart C juice drinks, Great Lakes juices, Hi Coffee, Oishi Fiber and Fruit, Tea Matchi milk tea drink and Oaties Milk milk and oats drink.

Oishi Tea Go (500ml) is priced at PHP 22.25 (normal price PHP 23.50) at Honestbee’s Robinsons Supermarket online store. Oishi Tea Go will be competing mainly with URC’s C2 Cool & Clean, the number one player in RTD tea with an 82% market share, according to URC’s first sustainability report released in early 2018.

New Dutch Lady Chocolate Caramel Flavoured Milk

By

Tan Heng Hong

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4th April 2018

Dutch Lady Caramel — Photo Credit: Minimeinsights.com

Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd has come up with a new limited edition flavour for its flavoured milk range – Chocolate Caramel Flavoured Milk.

This flavoured milk is described as “Enjoy the indulgent taste of chocolate. The goodness of milk and a swirl of gloriously gooey caramel flavour. All blended together with 140 years of Dutch Dairy heritage to give your family something truly nourishing.”

The total sugar is 8.2g per 100ml comprising 3.6g of sucrose and 4.6g of lactose. The per 100ml serving contains 130mg of calcium and 2.8g of protein.

The Dutch Lady Chocolate Caramel Flavoured Milk is packed by SIG.

11street Turns Three!

By

Tan Heng Hong

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4th April 2018

11street achieves over 300 percent growth in terms of its total gross merchandising volume from 2015 to 2017, with more than 13 million product listings from over 40,000 sellers.
11street celebrates three years and customers get incredible deals during its birthday party online with prizes and giveaways worth up to RM50,000 in total.

Kuala Lumpur, 3 April 2018 – 11street (www.11street.my), is celebrating its third birthday this April and they’re commemorating it by giving their customers the best of everything in threes!

Launched in Malaysia in 2015, 11street is now a joint venture between Axiata Digital Services and South Korean e-commerce marketplace provider, SK Planet. As Malaysia’s number two online marketplace, 11street currently has more than 13 million product listings on its platform from over 40,000 sellers.

Hoseok Kim, CEO of 11street shared that over the past three years, the company has seen considerable growth in several facets of its business operations, from its products to its sellers. For instance, from 2015 to 2017, the company saw more than 300 percent growth in total gross merchandising volume (GMV).

“We are thrilled to be celebrating this milestone as we are confident that Malaysia is set to see significant advancement of its e-commerce industry in 2018, and 11street intends to be at the forefront of this industry growth as we continue to meet the needs of Malaysian online shoppers and explore ways to enhance the shoppers’ experience,” said Kim.

11street has also experienced more than 200 percent increase in the total number of sellers registered on its platform, as well as a growth of more than 160 percent in its product listings from 2015 to 2017. The top performing categories include Baby & Kids, Mobile & Tablets and Skin & Personal Care. On top of that, 11street has sold more than 500,000 food & beverage and service e-vouchers in 2017 alone. Of all the purchases made by Malaysians from the platform, the top selling products include the car cameras and photo books as well as movie and petrol vouchers.

Beyond this, 11street’s findings also revealed that in the past three years, more shoppers start to make online purchases for Automotive, Home Décor, Smartwatches & Wearables and Women Jewellery & Accessories. These categories are regarded as the fastest growing categories by the number of orders placed at 11street. Meanwhile, some of the top performing brands are namely Firefly, Laneige, Petronas, Samsung, and Unilever. Besides that, the findings also uncovered the top three countries with the best-selling products, translating into the most number of orders from Malaysian shoppers, which are China, Korea and USA.

Kim added, “We don’t plan on slowing down any time soon! But, apart from the volume of sellers registered with the online marketplace, the company has been and continues to be dedicated to improving the quality of its sellers through its seller development programs, Seller Zone and the 11street Academy – the nation’s first certified e-commerce certification programme.”

“We’re also grateful to our customers for their continued support and loyalty throughout the years. In 2018, we continue to be committed to enriching the Malaysian daily lives by bringing consumers a wide variety of products from specialty items to everyday necessities, at competitive prices.”

To mark its third birthday and all the milestones that have been achieved thus far, 11street will be sharing its success by offering its customers mind-blowing deals, exciting contests and a whole load of prizes and giveaways worth RM50,000 that are up for grabs.

From the 1st to the 13th of April, 11street is kicking off its Birthday Flash Sales that offers online shoppers products starting from RM3 and to top it all off, the platform is also launching an International Clearance Sale which offers express delivery within 7 days for all featured products from Korea. It might be 11street’s third birthday, but it’s a party for everybody!

About 11street (www.11street.my)

11street is a trustworthy and convenient online marketplace that offers a great variety of products at competitive prices. It strives to revolutionise today’s consumers’ online shopping experience by making it more personalised and engaging. 11street has a diverse selection of product categories which are tagged on Fashion, Electronics, Groceries, Health & Beauty, Kids & Baby, Leisure & Sports, Home & Living, and Books & Services including deal offerings like E-vouchers. 11street is also an optimised marketplace where its merchandising ecosystem, education and training programs can fully support sellers regardless of the size of their businesses. Established in Korea since 2008, 11street is now one of the top global e-commerce marketplace providers with 400,000 sellers serving over 30 million consumers worldwide. 11street also has a presence in Turkey and Thailand, known as n11 and 11street respectively. For more information, please visit http://www.11street.my.

Indonesia bright spot for Ichitan

By

Tan Heng Hong

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3rd April 2018

Indonesia is a bright spot for the Thai RTD tea company Ichitan Group PLC. The company announced in its Opportunity Day Year 2017 Performance presentation deck that the contribution from the export segment (primarily Indonesia) jumped to 27% of total revenue in 2017, up from a mere 1.8% a year ago.

Revenue of the export business represented around THB 1,536 million (USD 49 million) in 2017, up from THB 96 million in 2016. Most the revenue in 2016-2017 came from Indonesia, following the highly successful millionaire program (“Mendadak Jutawan“) in 2017, which saw 30 lucky winners each taking home IDR 300 million (USD 22,500). The program has been re-launched in 2018.

Ichitan sold 1.7 million bottles in 2017?

In Indonesia, PT Ichi Tan Indonesia Director Sintorn Santitorn said to Surya Online that the company sold 1.7 million bottles in 2017. The goal for 2018 is to achieve a higher sales target of 3.8 million bottles.

It is not clear if the sale volume refers to Ichitan’s Thai Tea or overall sales. However, the headline does suggest it refers to Thai Tea pending further clarification.

Assuming the 1.7 million figure refers to overall sales volume, calculating using the retail price of Ichitan Honey Lemon Flavour at Indomaret of IDR 5,400 on 3 April 2018, the company’s sales revenue in 2017 at current retail price will only amount to IDR 9.18 billion (USD 667,000). This figure does not match the sales data (ex-factory price and inclusive of Cambodia) released by Ichitan. There is a possibility the number should be higher looking at the region of 17 million bottles instead of 1.7 million bottles.

Sintorn also added most of the sales in Indonesia came from the modern trade at 80% but the company is working to improve penetration in traditional trade through the placement of chillers and signage.

Share of lost in investment in joint venture widened

At the current stage, the Indonesia business is bleeding money as the main thing now is to capture market share. As a result, the share of lost in investment in joint venture rose 50.8% to THB 144.3 million in 2017 compared with a year ago. The millionaire program in 2017 alone cost around USD 675,000 in prize money.

RTD tea market in Thailand sliding

The outlook of the Thai RTD tea market is not promising as the market has been falling since 2013 citing Nielsen data. Ichitan is losing share to its closest rival Oishi. The growth of the export business has helped to compensate Ichitan’s poor performance in the home market and the company intends to enlarge its pie in the Indonesian RTD market.

100Plus available in 390ml PET bottle, launches summer campaign

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

1st April 2018

myanmar 390 — Photo Credit: 100Plus Myanmar

100Plus, the market leader in isotonic drink in Myanmar, is now available in a smaller 390ml PET bottle in the country. The beverage was showcased during the “Keep Hydrating During Summer with 100PLUS” campaign in March 2018 in Mahabandoola Park with special guest – actor, screenwriter and singer Zenn Kyi.

https://www.facebook.com/100PlusMyanmar/videos/1630919573682452/

With the onset of the summer month, the sports drink will organise similar roadshows in March and April 2018 to hydrate consumers throughout the country.

New summer TV commercial

As part of the summer campaign, 100Plus has also released a new TV commercial featuring Zenn Kyi, Miss Grand Myanmar Htar Htet Htet and the Myanmar National Football team on how 100Plus can help consumers stay rehydrated, reenergized and refreshed.

https://www.facebook.com/100PlusMyanmar/videos/1636620193112390/

Promising market

F&N has high hopes for 100Plus as it reckoned in its annual report 2016 that the isotonic drink market has the potential to grow at a double-digit CAGR from 2016 to 2021.

However in 2017, the market was not favourable. The company explains in its 2017 annual report saying the market was impacted by ‘the effect of unfavourable weather conditions, socio-economic instabilities, and an increasing competitive landscape in Myanmar have impacted disposable income and weakened consumer sentiment. Accordingly, this has led to a weakening of the carbonated soft drinks and isotonic segments in Myanmar.’

390ml priced at MMK 300

The 390ml 100Plus is priced at MMK300 (USD 0.23) in a convenience store. When i was there in February 2018, the 100Plus Active in 500ml PET bottle was selling at MMK 550 and the 325ml 100Plus in can was selling at MMK 400 in a convenience store. The 390ml PET bottle improves 100Plus accessible with a more attractive price point.

New Cocomax Smoothie

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

1st April 2018

Thailand’s Asiatic Agro has recently introduced Cocomax Smoothie made from a blend of coconut water and coconut milk. For most coconut milk beverage producers, flavour such as chocolate or mango is used to improve the taste and consumer acceptance of coconut milk beverage.

https://www.facebook.com/CocomaxThailand/videos/1531227743641228/

For Cocomax, the unique selling point of Cocomax Smoothie is once it refrigerated it can be turned into coconut iced dessert, tapping into the popularity of coconut shaved ice.

We have also seen carbonated soft drink innovating around frozen drink with Mirinda Mix-It is to be frozen and then shake resulting in a Slurpee-like drink.

Cocomax Smoothie is currently only available in Thailand.

New Mamee Shinsegae Daebak ramen has the Korean heritage, spiciness

By

Tan Heng Hong

-

30th March 2018

The Daebak Korean ramen is now in Malaysia. In January 2018, Mamee-Double Decker (M) Sdn. Bhd first publicized its new Daebak ramen instant noodle in Seoul at a press conference on the company’s involvement in the 2018 Winter Olympics’ halal kitchen. Back then, Mamee Director of Corporate Strategy and Finance Vuitton Pang Hee Cheah said the new noodle would be officially launched in Malaysia in April 2018 with a soft launch in March 2018. Deabak (대박) means ‘awesome’ or ‘the best’.

Premium pricing, Korean quality, certified halal

The day has finally come for Daebak to meet Malaysian consumers. This made-in Malaysia Korean ramen is now available at selected retailers in the country. As a product of the Shinsegae-Mamee joint venture, Daebak is priced at a premium at RM 19.93 for a 4x147g pack of Spicy Kimchi soup noodle and RM 19.93 for a 4x159g pack of Spicy Fried Chicken dry noodle.

Both halal-certified products are made in Malaysia by Pacific Food Products Sdn Bhd at the Ayeh Keroh factory in Malacca. Daebak will be exported to Singapore and Brunei as well.

Daebak is priced at the middle range of the RM 25 to RM 56/KG premium price fetched by imported Korean instant noodles in the country.

Each pack of Daebak weighs between 147g and 159g, making it the largest pack size among all Korean instant noodles. The usual size of an imported Korean instant noodle is 120g for a single pack with a few weighing between 130g and 145g. However, Deabak only has four pieces of noodles compared with five for most of the imported Korean counterparts.

As Daebak is huge, the large size makes it hard to display or retrieve from the narrow rack, potentially resulting in product damage when forcefully removed as was the case at Cold Storage.

Premiumising Mamee noodles

With Daebak through the joint venture with Korea’s Shinsegae, Mamee has successfully premiumised its noodle portfolio on par with imported Korean noodles, thus giving the company a pie of the lucrative business.

Tapping into growth segment

In recent years, Malaysian instant noodle eaters such as millennial who are adventurous and less brand loyal, are upgrading to better quality noodles. Instead of eating more, they are willing to pay a higher price to eat less but higher quality noodles to satisfy their craving and curiosity. South Korean instant noodles meet the criteria. Information about the latest imported noodles is obtained mainly from social media and through word of mouth.

Source: Malaysia External Trade Statistics Online (METS Online) compiled by Minimeinsights.com. % Breakdown of Malaysia’s instant noodle import value (RM) by country of origin, 2013-2017. HS Code: 190230400

Indonesian instant noodles continue to dominate the import scene but are fast losing share to other countries (eg South Korea, China and Thailand) as they are now seen as unexciting.

Imported Korean instant noodles take up a sizable shelf space in modern retailers. They are also the star highlights at specialty retailers such as MiX, which has over 10 outlets in the Klang Valley, Ipoh and Penang serving mainly ethnic Chinese shoppers.

Not the first time Mamee has kimchi noodle

In fact, Mamee’s kimchi noodle has always been around but not in Malaysia. The K-Mee Kimchi flavour – pack (70g) and cup is available in Myanmar for several years now.

Photo Credit: Myanmar Mamee Double Decker Limited Facebook – 2016

What Mini Me thinks

We have seen the recent move by Maggi in Malaysia to offer insanely spicy noodle, the Maggi Pedas Giler!! with a local price but with an extremely spicy experience to counter Samyang’s spicy ramen. In Indonesia, Pop Mie Pedes Dower is taking this route as well.

Now, the new Daebak draws upon Shinsegae, the Korean joint venture partner’s heritage, to move into the super premium imported Korean instant noodle segment. Deabak will also play in the spicy segment since its products are spicy kimchi and spicy fried chicken.

Both approaches are aimed at shoring up the competitiveness of the local players in face of strong competition from foreign players and to boost interest in a category that is seeing a decline in consumption.

Mini Me Insights

Coca-Cola Plus Coffee launched in Vietnam

C2 Cool & Clean RTD tea gets a fresher look

Beli & Vroom Vroom Your Way to Winning Attractive Prizes!

Oishi Tea Go enters C2 turf

New Dutch Lady Chocolate Caramel Flavoured Milk

11street Turns Three!

Indonesia bright spot for Ichitan

100Plus available in 390ml PET bottle, launches summer campaign

New Cocomax Smoothie

New Mamee Shinsegae Daebak ramen has the Korean heritage, spiciness

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