Global kids juice brand Capri-Sun has entered India in partnership with Indian licensee partner SDU Beverages. Packaged in a 200 ml stand-up pouch with an attached straw, Capri-Sun has launched four flavours for India, namely, Mango, Orange, Apple, and Mixed Fruit. Priced at Rs 20 with a shelf life of nine months, the brand aspires to be a hit with not only kids but all consumers who value the taste of natural fruit without any artificial flavours. Capri-Sun claims to have no preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and no artificial colours.
In India, Capri-Sun is placing its trust in its Indian production and marketing partner SDU Beverages, which has considerable experience in marketing beverage brands like Kingfisher Water, Kingfisher Soda and RC Cola. Capri-Sun will be manufactured locally in a newly set up facility in Hyderabad set up by SDU Beverages.
Capri-Sun in the first phase would be launched in the top nine Indian cities and will be available in leading retail chains.
Besides taste, the beverage is packaged and designed for easy handling. An optimized and patented insertion area on the pouch makes it easy to insert the straw and thus guarantees a better drinking experience, especially for kids, during sports, school activities and picnics. The Capri-Sun pouches will be available in both individual pouches and packs of 10 aimed at both on-the-go consumers as well as in-home usage.
According to the company officials, the patented pouch weighing 4.05g ensures that the contents are protected from the effects of oxygen and sunlight at all times. The plastic and aluminium pouch foil ensures that the contents remain stable, hygienically safe and cool for much longer than in other packaging forms currently available in the market.
Speaking on the occasion, Carsten Kaisig, CEO, Capri-Sun said, “Our vision is to bring joy and smiling faces to all kids around the world with Capri-Sun. Now with our Licensee partner SDU Beverages, we have the opportunity to spread the fun and great taste of our product in the Indian market in which almost one third are children under 15 years of age. We are proud to launch with Capri-Sun the first all-natural fruit juice beverage drink in India which is specifically addressing the needs and desires of children. We are convinced that both Indian kids and mums will love Capri-Sun, representing the highest quality product and great taste for more than 40 years.”
Peter Boeck, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Europe & International, Capri-Sun, added: “We consider India to be a market with tremendous growth potential in the juice brand category. In India the per capita consumption of beverages has risen by 50 percent over the past 10 years. In a market characterised by high competitive pressure, Capri-Sun can clearly set itself apart from the competition with its unique 200-ml stand-up pouch – the first of its kind in the market in this size.”
Commenting on the partnership, Kishore Agarwal, Owner and Managing Director, SDU Beverages, said: “We are very enthusiastic about the partnership with Capri-Sun and are confident of replicating its global success in India. Our decade long experience in manufacturing and marketing well-known beverage brands would be an added value for Capri-Sun.”
Rui Martins, Director, Sales, Middle East Region, Capri-Sun stated that the brand conducted an in-depth market research before coming to India. The study showed that all its flavors scored top marks in terms of overall taste. The launch will be accompanied by rigorous distribution in order to tap the traditional trade channel and ensure product availability to reap the benefits of the upcoming long, Indian summer months.”
SDU Beverages was incorporated in 2009 with the objective of being market leaders in the non-alcoholic beverages space. In 2010, SDU Beverages signed the franchise agreement with United Breweries, makers of Kingfisher beer, to manufacture and distribute Kingfisher Packaged Drinking Water and Kingfisher Power Soda. SDU Beverages handles production as well as distribution of non-alcoholic beverages in Southern India which is a major market base for the company. In 2012, it signed the license agreement with Capri-Sun Juice Drink, the world’s number one children’s drink to manufacture and distribute Capri-Sun Juice Drink in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. By January 2014, SDU Beverages set up a new commercial production facility at Hyderabad.
Capri-Sun is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. It grants manufacturing licenses and distributes Capri-Sonne and Capri-Sun via its partners around the world. The brand originated in Germany, where the fruit drink was launched in 1969. Today, Capri-Sun is available in many different flavours and in more than 110 countries. The packaging comes in the classic 200 ml pouch with straw and 250 ml and 330 ml re-sealable pouches with spouts. In 2013, around 6 billion pouches were sold worldwide, with a total retail sales value for the brand of close to 2 billion USD including sales by distributors.
