Brand New: Coca-Cola, Mengniu, and Nestle are some of the big brands featured in our round-up

Golden collaboration? Coca-Cola, Mengniu sign partnership with Olympics amid ‘junk food’ criticism

Coca-Cola and Chinese dairy giant Mengniu have cemented an Olympics partnership​ despite continued criticism from health advocates that so-called ‘junk food’ sponsors have no place in a sporting event on one end, and ongoing disputes in China on the other.

Earlier this year, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) announced the formation of the Joint Top Programme, which ‘combines the non-alcoholic beverage and the dairy categories into a new joint category’​.

Both Coca-Cola and Mengniu were brought on as the first ever Joint TOP partners, signing the agreement with the IOC earlier this year.

The joint partnership agreement runs through till 2032 and covers the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games 2022, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, the 2030 and 2032 Olympic Games, as well as International Paralympic Games and Youth Olympic Games.

Nestle's Indonesian investment: MNC pumps in USD100m to increase production by 25%

Nestle is increasing its Indonesian production capacity by 25%​ through the expansion of three of its factories in Karawang (West Java), Kejayan (East Java) and Panjang (Lampung).

The USD100m investment will build a new production line for Nestle’s liquid drinks such as Milo, Nescafé Ready to Drink, pure sterilised milk Bear Brand and Maggi seasoning.

Debora Tjandrakusuma, director of PT Nestlé Indonesia said: "The investment will increase our production capacity and produce not only more of our current products, but also newer products that we want to introduce to the market​.

"Indonesia has shown promising growth opportunities, and we recognise that the conducive business environment has allowed for a growing demand for our products.​

Well placed for wellbeing? Coca-Cola Amatil expands reach into Australian health beverages market

Coca-Cola Amatil has expanded further into the Australian health beverages market via a new distribution agreement with specialty beverage firm Made Group​, which owns protein smoothie brand Rokeby Farms and cold-pressed juice brand Impressed Juices.

Under the agreement, Coca-Cola Amatil will expand the distribution reach of both Rokeby Farm and Impressed Juices products to some 50,000 locations across the country.

“[The plan is to] distribute Rokeby Farms Whole Protein Smoothies and the Impressed Juice range to more customers, faster. [More developments] with the Made group are also being planned between now and end 2019,”​ said Coca-Cola Amatil Managing Director Australian Beverages Peter West.

“There is a continuing market trend toward healthier choices in beverages. We’ve heard the message on consumer wellbeing, and we’re delivering with a broader range of options.”​

Paving the milky way: China dairy giant Mengniu continues expansion plans in Uruguay

China’s Mengniu Dairy has sealed a deal with Conaprole, one of Uruguay’s top dairy producers​, to cooperate on the trading of products between the two countries.

This is in line with Mengniu’s ambitious plans to expand globally, due to increasingly fierce domestic competition from fellow Chinese dairy company, Yili Group. 

Lu Minfang, Mengniu’s CEO said, “As the first Chinese dairy firm to go overseas, globalisation is one of our top priorities​.”

Lu said the company was banking on innovation to give it an edge in global markets.

Coke Japan’s alco-pop Lemon-Do to go nationwide after test launch

Coca-Cola Japan is launching its only alcoholic product Lemon-Do nationwide in October this year​, although it will remain an ‘experimental’ product specific to the local market.

Lemon-Do is a chuhai beverage, which is a form of alcoholic cocktail that originated in Japan, made with carbonated water and the Japanese liquor shochu (not to be confused with Korean liquor soju) and traditionally flavoured with lemon.

Shochu can be distilled from barley, rice, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, buckwheat and a variety of tubers. It normally contains some 25% of alcohol by volume.

Lemon-Do is Coca-Cola’s first and only alcoholic product globally.