Coca-Cola to launch over 10 products a year including dairy; rolls out a nutrition drink priced at just Rs 5

Beverages major Coca-Cola plans to launch 10 new products in India this year, via its incubator that will tap insights from consumer feedback. Besides, the company will also push out products in the dairy segment. It has tested the waters with its Vio flavoured milk in southern India.

However, Coke made the news on Friday after it announced  that it will sell a nutrition drink in India, priced at just Rs 5.

Incubation

“The idea of the incubator is to ensure that we can do many products,” said Coca-Cola India and South West Asia President T Krishnakumar. “Our present target is to really first try 10 products a year and then eventually want to scale up 25 or 30 products because we see whole lot of activity happening in the market.”

The company has a team in India and at Shanghai, in China, which can turn consumer insights into a consumer product in just three months and then quickly secure a 30 percent footprint, of the company’s overall national distribution footprint, for the product. “We would keep renewing and refreshing our portfolio,” he said adding that the firm “would try to renovate it with relevant and exciting product.”

Under an older model, the company used to develop a product based on consumer insights, test it in some small towns and make corrections ahead of a nationwide roll out, said Krishnakumar adding that it was a two to three-year long process.

But, “the incubator model is about 12 weeks. It can take an idea or insight and make it into a product. We have done this and we can try a lot of product now quickly and scale up our portfolio by our big bottling system, which is effectively scaling up,” Krishnakumar added.

Dairy foray

About the planned dairy foray, he said that the company has tested the waters. “We have lot of learning from what ever we have done and we have absorbed the learning. Now we are reformulating and working on a range which will have a better connect with the consumer. So you would see [us> coming out with a range of dairy products.”

A Rs 5 drink

On 3 May, Coke announced it will sell two new products countrywide, both nutrition drinks. One of them is priced as low as Rs 5 for an 18gm sachet. The announcement marks the softdrinks giant’s entry into the enhanced hydration and nutritious dilutables segment.

The first, Aquarius Glucocharge, packed with glucose, essential minerals (potassium, sodium and calcium) and fruit juice has been developed exclusively for Indian consumers who toil in the heat and need instant rehydration to overcome exhaustion. The non-carbonated, low-sugar beverage with fruit juice is priced at Rs 10 for a 200ml serving.

The second, Minute Maid Vitingo is a specially formulated product to address micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition. The formulation is fortified with iron, vitamins A and C, zinc, folic acid, vitamin B2 and B12. It will be sold in single serving dilutable sachets of 18gm, priced at Rs 5, the company said in a statement.