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

‘In India, for India’: PepsiCo looks to double local snacks business

PepsiCo India is looking to double its local snacks business by 2022​, based on an all-round local focus spanning people, ingredients, manufacturing, along with investment of some INR5.14bn (US$71mn).

The investment is expected to go into the establishment of a ‘greenfield snacks manufacturing plant’​ in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh over the course of three years.

“As we look to double our snacks business over the next few years, we intend to invest approximately INR5.14bn to expand our footprint in Uttar Pradesh, [as] we have a long relationship with the people of Uttar Pradesh,” ​said PepsiCo India President and CEO Ahmed ElSheikh in a statement to FoodNavigator-Asia.​

‘Stress-free’ investment: Coca-Cola Japan to enter local ‘relaxation drink’ market hemp-venture

Coca-Cola Japan has set its sights on the local ‘relaxation drink’ market​ with a recent investment in newly-established beverage company Endian and its unique hemp-containing drink Chill Out.

Chill Out was originally developed by Japanese beauty technology company I-ne, but Endian will be taking over the product as an independent company during the upcoming fall season in Japan, backed by both Coca-Cola Japan and I-ne.

“This [initiative] is purely focused on the Japanese market.”​ a Coca-Cola Japan spokeswoman told FoodNavigator-Asia.​

 “Coca-Cola Japan has invested [in this] new company Endian, which was established by I-ne [earlier this year.”​

Premium convenience: Singapore’s Boncafe eyes China and Middle East coffee market

Singapore-based premium gourmet coffee specialist Boncafe has its eye on the China and Middle East coffee markets​, banking on an increased focus on its Ready-To-Drink (RTD) products in line with current trends.

Boncafe boasts over 50 years of history, and is a subsidiary of Italian coffee company Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, which claims to be the ‘biggest private company’ in the coffee industry.

According to Boncafe Regional Marketing Manager Tammy Chua, the company is seeing a ‘rising trend and demand’​ for products within the RTD coffee sector within their countries of operation.​

“[This is seen even more in] Asia, especially China, and other emerging markets such as those in Indo-China countries, [and] we expect a market demand for this product category in these countries,”​ she told FoodNavigator-Asia.​

Made for ‘slashers’: Coca-Cola Hong Kong targets younger, multitasking consumers with new energy drink

Coca-Cola Hong Kong has launched a new energy drink specifically targeting younger consumers with a tendency towards multitasking​, deemed the ‘slasher’ generation.

According to the company, ‘slashers’ are young consumers that are not satisfied with performing just a single job function, have a thirst for freedom, and are willing to stray beyond the confines of a stable income.

“Slashers commonly have many jobs and constantly multitask, which means that they have multiple ‘slashes (/)’ in their job title,”​ said Coca-Cola Hong Kong via an official statement on their website.

For example, such an individual could be a nurse by day, professional bartender by night, and yoga instructor over the weekend, and their official job title would be: Nurse/bartender/yoga instructor.

Raising the bar: JD working with Nestle to tailor wafer bar strategy for China

China’s e-commerce giant JD.com is using its consumer insights to work with Nestle​ to tailor their crispy wafer bar (Cui Cui Sha) for the domestic market.

Nestle’s Cui Cui Sha is one of the brand’s signature items, and a snack that JD customers often purchase in bulk.

According to JD’s analysis of consumer feedback, they found that consumers preferred large packages of wafer bars for trips and family outings, as well as smaller wafer bars in a variety of flavours to be able to share easily.

At that time, Nestle did not offer those options, so JD helped Nestle design newer, larger packs containing more mini-sized wafer bars in a variety of flavours.