Beverages

Australia

Cargill sues Viterra over alleged deception at Australian malt maker

15-Oct-2014 By Andrew Schreiber

Agribusiness major Cargill has filed a lawsuit against Vittera over alleged deceptive practices at Australia’s largest producer of barley malt, which it bought from the Canada-based grain handler last year.

Nestle backs beverage ‘belief’ in Vietnam with $36m Milo investment

13-Oct-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Nestle has spent $36.6m expanding its Milo chocolate malt beverage factory in Vietnam and stressed its ‘firm belief in the potential of the country’ as nutritional drinks demand grows.

Honeysuckle tea to fight flu? Chinese claim ‘extremely novel finding’

08-Oct-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Chinese scientists are claiming an ‘extremely novel finding’ after mice fought off several different types of flu when fed a honeysuckle tisane.

Australia - feature

Young binge drinkers risk compounding mental health issues

07-Oct-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Research has shown that binge drinking by youngsters with existing mental health issues can risk exacerbating their condition.

ABC article says climate change is impacting quality of Chinese tea; whether botanicals in other regions are affected is less clear

29-Sep-2014 By Hank Schultz

Global climate change is affecting the quality of tea harvested in southwestern China, both in terms of taste and content of bioactive chemicals, according to a recent article in Herbalgram, the publication of the American Botanical Council.  Whether...

Australia

Home is where the wine is for Aussie drinkers, research finds

25-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

While the proportion of Australians adults drinking wine is gradually declining, the proportion of those drinking wine at home has increased very slightly.

Australia

Does a team’s sponsor influence Aussie rules fans’ tipple tastes?

24-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

As Australia gears up for the Aussie rules football premiership final this weekend, research has revealed the drinks fans will be stocking up on ahead of the big game.

Blog

Change brewing as Malaysia hops onto craft beer bandwagon

15-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Faced with increasing gains across Asia-Pacific, not least in Australia where traditional brewers are fast losing market share, craft beer importers are now eyeing Southeast Asia as a new growth market.

Coffee genome sequenced: Researchers drink to greater caffeine control

12-Sep-2014 By Shane STARLING

Reducing, enhancing or even eliminating caffeine content in coffee plants will be possible in the near future researchers are saying after completing the genomic map of the coffee plant Coffea canephora.

India

Bisleri back in carbonated soft drinks after 22-year wait

10-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Best known for its bottled water, Bisleri has made a return to the carbonated soft drinks market 22 years after it sold its Thums Up, Limca, Gold Spot and Mazza brands to Coca-Cola.

Coke's largest India bottler abandons $25m bottle line, campaigners claim 'colossal victory'

10-Sep-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Coke’s largest Indian bottler has blamed officialdom for the 'inordinate delay' it said led it to abandon a newly built $25m bottling line in Uttar Pradesh, but insists it will pursue plans to inaugurate the line elsewhere in the state.

Australia

Queensland team closing in on caffeine-free coffee plant development

09-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

It will soon be possible to grow premium-quality caffeine-free coffee, tea and cocoa, according to research by the University of Queensland.

'AUSSIE ENERGY DRINK REGS TIGHTEST IN THE WORLD’ – ABCL

Coke Amatil backs Mother after mom blames energy drinks for son’s death

04-Sep-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Coca-Cola Amatil insists all the ingredients in popular Australian energy drink Mother are safe to consume after a mother blamed excess consumption of such drinks on the death of her 34 year-old son.

Australia

Building site hipsters Down Under behind rise of coffee-flavoured milk

03-Sep-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Australians are well known for fancying the odd flat white, but a new trend suggests they are also becoming quite partial to coffee-flavoured milk.

NEWS SHORT

Indian government urges PepsiCo to cut soda sugar levels

02-Sep-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

The Indian government has urged PepsiCo boss Indra Nooyi to cut sugar levels in soft drinks further and launch more healthy and nutritious products.

Pernod Ricard hit by Chinese slump

28-Aug-2014 By Rachel Arthur

Pernod Ricard says a slump in China, and unfavourable foreign exchange effect, is responsible for an overall 7% fall in sales, as it released its full year 2013/14 results today. 

Australia

Researchers make progress in finding how wines make drinkers feel

28-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Australia’s wine industry needs to turn to the perfume industry to learn how wines affect a consumer’s emotions, according to a researcher from Adelaide. 

Crafty Australian beer independents set sights on China’s middle-class

25-Aug-2014 By Rei Rengsen Siew Lin

China’s craft beer market might not yet be as dominant as its Australian counterpart, but this will change as a growing and affluent middle-class opens its eyes and palates to craft beer imports.

Treasury Wine Estates hints at possible US acquisitions

22-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Troubled Australian wine group and takeover target Treasury Wine Estates wants to accelerate its high-value US business and is exploring possible acquisitions or takeovers there.

Analyst savages Coca-Cola Amatil for ‘really poor company culture’

22-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Merrill Lynch analyst David Errington has savaged Coca-Cola Amatil’s former management – insisting that they ‘compromised the business to meet short-term earnings targets’ in 2013.

Australia

Drinkers need to be told about the risk of cancer from alcohol

21-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Curtin University researchers are now recommending the adoption of cancer warning labels for alcoholic beverages after a study they conducted found that Australians would take not be averse to seeing such advisories on their wine, beer and spirits bottles.

Tata Global Beverages: Greenpeace pesticide study ‘confirms tea brands safe to drink’

19-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Hindustan Unilever India and Tata Global Beverages insist their teas comply with legal standards and are safe to drink after Greenpeace said it found illegal pesticide traces in popular Indian tea brands.

Tea Board of India attacks ‘sensational’ Greenpeace wording in pesticide row

19-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

The Tea Board of India has attacked Greenpeace for ‘sensational’ wording in a report claiming teas sold by the likes of Unilever and TATA Global Beverages contain illegal pesticide residues.

'NO EVIDENCE OF AN IMMINENT THREAT': CARLSBERG

Carlsberg steps up security at Malaysian brewery on Islamic State attack threat

18-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Carlsberg tells BeverageDaily.com it is maintaining heightened security at its Malaysian brewery near Kuala Lumpur, after sympathizers of terrorist organization Islamic State told police they had planned to attack the facility.

COKE'S MONSTER MARRIAGE: CRACKING CHINA

‘Monster Energy can crack China with Coke’s help’: CEO Rodney Sacks

15-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Monster Energy CEO Rodney Sacks insists the brand will be well-placed to crack the Chinese market using the distribution might of new shareholder The Coca-Cola Company.

India

Lavazza departs India coffee chain market with sale of Barista

14-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Yet another international firm has bid farewell to the Indian food service market after Lavazza sold its Barista Coffee Co., India’s oldest coffee chain, to local company Carnation Hospitality.

Australia

Virtual bottleshops see steady growth as more Aussies buy online

13-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Amid news that online shopping while under the influence of alcohol is now a recognised phenomenon, a growing number of Australian adults are using the internet to buy alcohol. 

Wolf Blass bidding war? TPG makes rival $3.1bn approach to Treasury Wine Estates

11-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Penfolds and Wolf Blass brand owner Treasury Wine Estates has received a second $3.1bn takeover approach from a global private equity firm reported to be TPG Capital Management.

China

New dairy culture sees explosive drinking yoghurt growth

11-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

For years a laggard in the dairy stakes, China is now seeing massive growth in its yoghurt drinks market largely because of significant investment and new demand for healthier drinks on the go.

Breast is best: Punjab gov sets new infant formula labelling rules

04-Aug-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Labelling of infant formula sold in the Pakistani department of Punjab must now include the warning “mother’s milk is the best food for your baby and helps in preventing diarrhoea and other illnesses,” according to new prohibition and guidance rules released...

Penfolds maker Treasury Wine Estates welcomes $3.15bn takeover bid

04-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Penfolds producer Treasury Wine Estates has welcomed a $3.15bn takeover proposal from private equity firms Rhone Capital and KKR and will let them to conduct due diligence on its books.

‘Great to have the brand back!’ ABI seizes back Corona control from Carlsberg in China

01-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) today took back distribution control of Corona Extra from Carlsberg in China as CEO Carlos Brita insists the brand will extend its ‘super premium’ position in the country.

IVAN MENEZES CONFIDENT DIAGEO CAN REBUILD AN 'ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS'

‘Shui Jing Fang appears to be broken, from the outside’: Analyst tells Diageo boss

01-Aug-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Sales of Diageo’s super premium baijiu brand Shui Jing Fang fell 79% in 2014, but CEO Ivan Menezes insists the firm can rebuild an ‘attractive business’ by slashing prices and improving route to market.

'A MIXED YEAR AND A TOUGHER ONE THAN WE ANTICIPATED AT THE START': CFO DEIRDRE MAHLAN

Diageo’s top line takes a hammering: 2014 results show Chinese dragon bites

31-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Diageo said today that foreign exchange movements ‘severely impacted’ its 2014 top line while Chinese anti-extravagance measures also hit hard – our slideshow dissects the Johnnie Walker distiller's performance.

India-Australia

Hindus outraged by beef and alcohol use in Heinz juice manufacturing

31-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

A prominent Hindu leader has demanded an apology from Heinz Australia, which he claims concealed the use of alcohol and beef-derived gelatine in the production of some of its juice drinks.

Analysts fear Chinese frugality and US share loss: Looking ahead to Diageo’s 2014 results

30-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

With Diageo set to report its full-year 2014 results tomorrow, let’s look at what we might expect – with analysts predicting a share loss in US spirits and continued concerns in Asia-Pacific.

Australia

Nothing bitter about craft beer’s rising popularity

30-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The remarkable rise in popularity of craft beer in Australia might be driving mainstream brewery executives to the bottle, but for Glenn Cary, chief executive of the independent Balmain Brewing Company, it is only the beginning.

China and Co. driving New Zealand food and beverage exports

29-Jul-2014 By Andrew Schreiber

Consumer demand from East and Southeast Asia for high value foods and beverages is driving export growth and diversification for New Zealand’s food and beverage industry, a new government report has revealed.

China

Premium brands will lead as China’s beer economy leapfrogs that of US

24-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Now double the size of its American counterpart, China's beer market is an exciting place to be for international brewers in spite of protectionist controls put in place by its authorities.

Australia

Study: Energy drinks increase the desire to drink longer and harder

21-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Australian academics have called for greater analysis of the potential harm caused by mixing energy drinks with alcohol after new research found the practice can turn a few quick drinks into a much longer session.

‘What do you want, blood?’ China’s CFDA bans sale of Vampire Drinks

16-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has banned the sale of a fruit punch in packaging designed to look like a medical blood bag, citing food safety concerns and dubious ethics.

New Zealand

Kiwi scientist finds way to counter mealybug threat

15-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The New Zealand wine industry is now better equipped to battle a devastating plant pathogen thanks to new research carried out in the country.

Australia

Japan trade agreement could spur beleaguered Australian wine exports

15-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The recent signing of a trade agreement between Japan and Australia will give wine exports to the Far East a “step-up”, according to the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA). 

Who drinks more wine – the Chinese or the Japanese?

14-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Isn’t the answer obvious? The Chinese, with their thirst for fine French wines, New World reds and keenness to plant vineyards over the past five years, easily outstrip the economically stressed, beer-loving Japanese.

Insight

Turning tables: NGOs commend multinational for transparency in Myanmar

14-Jul-2014 By Marta Kasztelan

In a rare move, NGOs and rights experts commended Coca-Cola for a report it has submitted with the US State Department regarding its responsible business practices in Myanmar.

'Increasingly adventurous' Japanese welcome different wine styles

07-Jul-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Wine Intelligence reports that 21% of regular wine drinkers in Japan enjoy trying new and different styles of wine on a regular basis compared to 15% two years ago, while the nation's wine fan's also enjoy the drink more often.

Southeast Asia

Indonesia considering new labeling rules for alcoholic beverages

07-Jul-2014 By Andrew Schreiber

The Indonesian government is considering new labeling regulations for manufacturers of alcoholic beverages in a bid to lower the number of consumers of alcohol in the country.

South Korea

Korean women catching up with the world’s biggest boozers — Korean men

03-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

South Korean women are developing a taste for a tipple at a remarkable rate, with the number who regularly consume alcohol having grown by more than 33% in just over a decade.

Australia

Put the Wimbledon champagne on ice: Aussie tennis fans love a tipple

02-Jul-2014 By RJ Whitehead

With champagne corks popping at Wimbledon this week—an expected 28,000 of them over the course of the SW19 fortnight—Australian drinks marketers would be advised to tap into the bubbly market back home, according to new research.

China analysis

Low margins put off leading wine brokers despite boom in imports

30-Jun-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Although China wine market has been booming for some time, the low prices charged by online importers means few leading brokers and retailers have been tempted to enter the business.