Brand New: Nestle, Britannia Industries, Yili, Mengniu and more feature in this edition of our brands round-up
Milo in the spotlight: 45% of Nestle Malaysia’s US$52.4mn CAPEX investment to go into Centre of Excellence
Almost half of Nestle Malaysia’s RM220mn (US$52.4mn) CAPEX investment for this year will be going into the development of its Milo Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, a nod to the country’s passion for the chocolate malt drink.
Nestle Malaysia CEO Juan Aranols told FoodNavigator-Asia that this CAPEX investment was the company’s highest in the past five years.
“[For 2019], we have allocated RM220mn (US$52.4mn) in capital expenditure, our highest level in five years,” he said.
“A significant amount of this (RM100mn/US$23.8mn) will go towards expanding our Chembong factory in Negeri Sembilan to establish the world’s largest MILO Manufacturing Centre of Excellence.”
‘Democratising high quality’: India’s Britannia Industries ramps up international focus with first export-oriented factory
Indian bakery goods giant Britannia Industries is looking to ramp up its international business focus with the development of its first export-oriented factory.
The factory was launched last year in the Western Indian state of Gujarat, and is the product of INR160bn (US$22.9mn) worth of investment, according to Britannia Industries’ CEO of International Business Annu Gupta.
“The factory is the first facility that is 100% export-oriented – this means that not one single biscuit from there will be sold in India,” Gupta told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Outside of India, Britannia sees Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Nepal and Saudi Arabia as some of its most important markets, in addition to the United States and Canada.
Hitting the $100bn mark: China’s Yili and Mengniu pour in investment to boost milk production
Chinese dairy giants Yili and Mengniu are adding new manufacturing sites to pump up production volume of liquid milk products in a bid to hit the RMB$100bn (US$14.5bn) revenue goal.
Mengniu announced that it is building a new factory in Jiaozuo, a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province.
The factory will be the largest processing site of Mengniu’s dairy products. It is expected to process 1000 tonnes of fresh milk daily, provide direct employment for 1,500 people, and indirectly benefit 20,000 dairy farmers.
Tom yum biscuits: Lotte targets Thailand’s adult consumer market with sophisticated flavours
Lotte is targeting Thailand’s adult snacking market with two new stick biscuits featuring “sophisticated flavours” – tom yum kung and spicy bbq cream – its country MD told us in an exclusive interview.
Priced at THB$20 (US$0.60) per box, Lotte is launching savoury stick biscuits the first time in Thailand this month.
The two new flavours were showcased during THAIFEX-World of Food Asia exhibition held at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok.
“This time, the inside of our new product is not chocolate, but tom yum kung and bbq cream. We launch these to capture the Asian market with local flavours. In the case of Singapore, salted egg chips is booming. Consumers are always looking for this type of new surprises,” Managing Director of Thai Lotte, Akira Shimizu, told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Omni-channel presence: Nestlé China taps on Alibaba Ling Shou Tong model to reach more mum-and-pop stores
Nestlé China is building its presence in the traditional mum-and-pop stores by cooperating with Alibaba’s Ling Shou Tong (LST).
LST helps connect FMCG brands with traditional mum-and-pop stores, which were previously connected via multiple layers of sub-distributors.
Nestlé recently organised a Super Brand Day with LST, where all products from its subsidiaries, including Yinlu and Totole are available for sale on LST. New products from these brands were also launched on the platform.
Facing both opportunities and challenges from China’s new retail scene, Nestlé China said participating in LST Super Brand Day not only helped to strengthen the store owners’ habit of buying its products, but also fosters brand loyalty.
