Beverages

China’s Top 5 most valuable alcohol brands in 2013: From beer to baijiu

21-Jan-2013 By Ben BOUCKLEY

In this exclusive gallery, BeverageDaily.com explores the Top 5 Chinese alcohol brands by value, which sees the nation’s movers ‘n’ shakers reaching out to the world with baijiu, beer and wine.

Industry hits back at Australia’s ‘flawed’ soft-drink campaign

21-Jan-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Just days after a massive public health campaign to tackle the overconsumption of soft drinks was launched, the initiative has already drawn its critics, with one group suggesting the campaign’s demands are “short-sighted” and “lazy”.

NESTLE POISED FOR CONTINUED CHINESE COFFEE DOMINANCE: ANALYST

China wakes up, smells Nestlé’s ‘unique’ coffee flavor

14-Jan-2013 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Nestlé’s ‘smart investment’ in Chinese whole bean coffee is likely to consolidate its market-leading position within the category there, as it stands poised to release a local product, according to a top beverage analyst.

Wine Intelligence warns exporters of wine dollar delusion in China

11-Jan-2013 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Wine Intelligence has warned wine exporters to China against 'seeing only dollar signs' in the world's fifth-largest wine market, and said it was important to understand Chinese consumers, not just parachute in western brands.

Manjushree Technopack sets out growth plans

11-Jan-2013 By Rod Addy

Packaging firm Manjushree Technopack aims to double sales by 2015, driven by the growth of the middle class in India, and is poised to start construction on a fourth factory.

Coca-Cola China files police claim against ‘false’ fungicide rumors

10-Jan-2013 By Ben BOUCKLEY

The Coca-Cola Company has confirmed that it has filed a police report in China targeting recent internet hoax rumors that its orange juice contains an illegal fungicide, and will pursue legal redress.

INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG

Tsingtao tightens grip on central Shaanxi as AB InBev lurks

08-Jan-2013 By Jacob de Lichtenberg

Chinese beer giant Tsingtao Brewery is set to further consolidate its leading market position in Shaanxi by significantly expanding capacity with two new breweries, while AB InBev is also rumoured to be keen on penetrating the central Chinese province.

Heineken strongly denies whispers of APB unrest and ‘stifled creativity’

04-Jan-2013 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Heineken strongly denies to BeverageDaily.com that the resignation of several high-profile managers from its recent $6.53bn acquisition Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) attests to unrest at the Singapore-based firm.

State of the industry

Bottled water amounting to big bucks in Indonesia

18-Dec-2012 By RJ Whitehead

Indonesia's bottled water market may be one of the most high valued markets in the world, but there are still plenty of opportunities for growth, new research from UK-based research firm Mintel said.

Coca-Cola FEMSA buys Coke’s Philippines bottling operation for $688.5m

14-Dec-2012 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Coca-Cola FEMSA has sealed a deal to acquire a majority stake in the Coca-Cola Company’s Philippines bottling operation in Mexico City, and hailed an import milestone in its history.

ANALYST INSIGHT

Suntory UK focus after $6bn IPO could see it snaffle Barr Britvic: Analyst

13-Dec-2012 By Ben BOUCKLEY

With rumors swirling that Japanese giant Suntory is considering a $6bn IPO next year, one analyst reasons that any desire to enter the UK market could see it target Barr Britvic Soft Drinks.

Suntory plans share sale to fund M&A drive?

12-Dec-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Multinational Suntory Holdings plans to sell shares in its non-alcoholic drinks business to fund a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) drive, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg.

Coca-Cola Amatil brews cider first as Swedish hit Rekorderlig joins 2014 portfolio

12-Dec-2012 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has signed a deal to distribute Swedish cider Rekorderlig in Australia from January 2014, and said its sales and distribution strength would help consolidate the brand’s market-leading position.

INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG

Carlsberg signals Chinese strategy shift and 'Top 3' ambition

10-Dec-2012 By Jacob de Lichtenberg

For Chinese beer market followers, one of the most interesting developments over the last fortnight was Danish brewer Carlsberg’s announced strategy shift and expressed desire to acquire one of the nation's top three domestic brewers.

TETRA PAK VIDEO EXCLUSIVE

Tetra Pak researches processing methods to tap ‘explosive’ coconut water trend

07-Dec-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Kit Lai, director of Tetra Pak’s Soya- and Coconut Knowledge Centers, discusses the global growth of coconut water and soya milks as categories, and the firm's latest formulation and processing innovations.

Fake fears and shrinking bottles: Top 5 Chinese wine trends for 2013

06-Dec-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Wine Intelligence analysts provide the lowdown on the five key developments the research group expects to see within the world’s fastest growing wine market China in 2013.

FSSAI to regulate tea trade in India

04-Dec-2012 By Ankush Chibber

India’s top commercial crop, its tea trade, will now come under the authority of the country’s top food safety watchdog.

Aussies and Kiwis prefer price and brand name over origin

03-Dec-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Consumers in Australia and New Zealand may espouse locally made food and beverage products, but the reality of the situation is somewhat different, a top marketing and branding guru has said.

PepsiCo needs emerging market focus to repair margins: US investment firm

28-Nov-2012 By Ben Bouckley

A US-based investment firm insists that PepsiCo needs to focus on its most profitable brands and emerging markets such as China to bolster margins and regain ground on Coke.

INDUSTRY VOICES: HEAD OF AKTIEFOKUS CHINA, JACOB DE LICHTENBERG

Tsingtao scales up beer operations in China’s bustling Henan province

27-Nov-2012 By Jacob de Lichtenberg

In this guest article, Jacob de Lichtenberg, head of Aktiefokus China, gives BeverageDaily.com readers the lowdown on Tsingtao Brewery’s plans to build a brewery in Henan province, where beer production is booming.

Social storm pushes Woolworths to remove infant drink

27-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

A social media storm and petition have prompted Australian supermarket Woolworths to withdraw all juice supplies of infant drink brand Bebi from its shelves, although its infant suitable water line will remain.

Foster’s Group was ‘undermanaged’ for number of years – SAB Miller CFO

26-Nov-2012 By Ben Bouckley

SAB Miller CFO Jamie Wilson admits that the firm has suffered volume declines with Foster’s Group in Australia and is not regaining share, but claims that the takeover was never a ‘short-term journey’.

Drinks

Kiwis drinking more cider, but less beer

23-Nov-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Cider is the rising star of New Zealand’s alcoholic beverages market even as consumption of beer in the country is showing a steady decline, said a top official from Lion, the Australasian food and beverage major.

BEVERAGEDAILY.COM EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Chr. Hansen sees red in Asia as vibrant natural colors ‘step off the shelf’

21-Nov-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Chr. Hansen says it has high hopes in Asia and elsewhere for its new natural coloring ingredient for beverages, Ultra Stable Red, and claims investing in natural colors strips out costs elsewhere in the supply chain.

State of the industry

From chai to latte: India’s new coffee culture

21-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

Coffee culture in India is flourishing thanks to the efforts of a few specialist coffee chains and the instant coffee players, says a new report from Rabobank.

$5bn PepsiCo-Tingyi ‘behemoth’ = harder Chinese beverage market: Rabobank

15-Nov-2012 By Ben BOUCKLEY

PepsiCo’s tie-up with top Chinese beverage player Tingyi, given the green light in March, will significantly reduce growth opportunities for smaller market rivals, according to Martin Wu from Rabobank.

Drinks industry unites against proposed container deposit scheme

15-Nov-2012

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has backed Australian beverage producers by releasing a submission on the proposed National Container Deposit Scheme (CDS).

Queensland health chief calls for a parental ban on fruit juice

15-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

An Australian state’s health chief has advised parents to ban their children from soft drinks and fruit juices in an attempt to reverse an alarming rise in childhood obesity.

Experts don't buy new Pepsi’s fat-busting claims

14-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

“I know what people are thinking as they head out for a Big Mac, large fries and cola: why not make it a lighter meal and opt for diet- or zero-calorie Coke—or now, a Pepsi Special?” reasons Rashi Chowdhary, a Dubai-based nutritionist.

Fat-blocking Pepsi will launch in Japan this week

12-Nov-2012 By RJ Whitehead

This week will see the launch of a fat-busting new Pepsi variant that is targeting the health conscious.

Q3 wrap: Nutrition stars for DSM and Naturex

06-Nov-2012 By Shane Starling

Royal DSM saw Q3 sales slip 7% to €2.3bn across all divisions with polymer intermediates performing worst, but as has been the case in recent quarters, the Dutch firm’s nutrition cluster held firm with 1% organic growth in difficult economic times.

Fizzy drinks can massively increase risk of stroke

25-Oct-2012 By RJ Whitehead

Drinking just one fizzy soft drink per day could bump up the risk of stroke by up to 80 per cent, according to a research team studying the effects of such beverages on nearly 40,000 Japanese men and women.

PepsiCo and Suntory unite to crack Vietnam’s beverage market

25-Oct-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Beverage major PepsiCo has taken a major step towards cracking the growing Vietnam market by signing a strategic agreement with Japanese beverage and wellness player Suntory.

China wakes up and smells the new Nescafé...

09-Oct-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Nestlé will launch a reformulated version of single-serve coffee product Nescafé 1+2 Original in China this month, and claims that consumer tastes in the nation have changed.

Indian consumers driving extract market

09-Oct-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Indian consumers are far more aware of the functionality of food and beverage ingredients, which is driving innovation with fruit and vegetable extracts for ingredient manufacturers, a new report has revealed.

The Joy of Six: Heineken’s ‘compelling’ rationale for APB buy

05-Oct-2012 By Ben BOUCKLEY

After Heineken successfully netted Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), CEO and chair Jean-François van Boxmeer told investors that there were ‘six key reasons’ why the capture was compelling.

Carlsberg denies Heineken APB takeover drove Singha deal

01-Oct-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Carlsberg has agreed a strategic partnership with Singha Corporation, and tells BeverageDaily.com it is confident the new venture will succeed where a previous Thai partnership with Chang Beverages failed amidst legal acrimony in 2005.

Indian coffee growers suffering labour headache

28-Sep-2012 By Ankush Chibber

India’s coffee industry is under severe stress due a shortage of skilled labour and must invest heavily in expanding its capabilities, a major industry association has said.

Coke wows Kiwis with personalized PET bottles

26-Sep-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Coca-Cola New Zealand is selling PET bottles of Coke personalized with one of 150 names popular in the country, and encouraging Facebook fans to 'share a virtual can'.

Australian bottled water industry slowing to a trickle

25-Sep-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Volatile economic conditions, environmental concerns and low consumer sentiment have hurt Australian packaged water producers, a new report by research firm IbisWorld has revealed.

Tea blends could ignite Chinese craft beer craze: analyst suggests

24-Sep-2012 By Ben Bouckley

An influential alcoholic drinks analyst says the launch of a novel beer blended with black tea could supply the spark that ignites a craft brewing revolution in China.

Australian medical body calls for more controls on alcohol marketing

21-Sep-2012 By Ankush Chibber

A new report by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has come out strongly against alcohol companies and the way they market to young people.

New study 'will boost earnings for New Zealand winegrowers'

14-Sep-2012 By Ankush Chibber

A new research initiative is expected to bring a windfall to New Zealand’s wine industry, which has been adversely affected by climatic variations in the recent past.

'Shrewd' ThaiBev billionaire still in hunt for Singapore prize Asia Pacific Beverages

13-Sep-2012 By Ben Bouckley

ThaiBev said today that its concert party aims to takeover Fraser & Neave (F&N) in a S$9bn deal, as rumors abound that the former’s billionaire chair still craves control of Asia Pacific Breweries (APB).

'NZ spirits industry ripe for investment'

13-Sep-2012 By Ankush Chibber

A growing number of investors are eyeing New Zealand’s nascent spirits industry, with many small and medium-sized firms jostling to replicate the successes of the country’s wine growers, a new report has revealed.

Burma now awash with Sprite as well as Coca-Cola Light

11-Sep-2012 By Ben Bouckley

The Coca-Cola Company has relaunched Coca-Cola onto the Burmese market, while Coca-Cola Light and Sprite are also now available, as it works to found a bottling venture with a local soft drinks firm.

Researchers uncover how green tea compound boosts brain function

06-Sep-2012 By Nathan Gray

The green tea compound epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG) provides benefits to memory and special learning by boosting the production of important neural cells, say researchers from China.

Heineken S$5.6bn offer is our ‘best opportunity’ to realize value: Fraser & Neave chair

06-Sep-2012 By Ben Bouckley

Fraser & Neave (F&N) announced today that shareholders will vote on the firm's proposed sale of its interest in Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) to Heineken on September 28, and hailed the offer as its 'best opportunity' to realize...

Victoria Bitter boosts alcohol levels as recipe changes backfire

05-Sep-2012

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) CEO Ari Mervis admits the SAB Miller subsidiary was wrong to change the recipe for Victoria Bitter (VB), but is changing the Aussie beer back to its original recipe.