Coca-Cola introduces powdered concentrate

Our Bureau

HYDERABAD, Nov. 21

TARGETING the huge untapped beverage market, Coca-Cola India has launched its first ever powdered drink concentrate, Sunfill, and plans a gradual entry into the tea and coffee segments with its ready-to-drink packs.

As a part of its larger business plan, Coca-Cola has initiated the first of a series of marketing initiatives for Sunfill. And while current initiatives in Hyderabad, are targeted at consumers in Andhra Pradesh, the company is all set to introduce the product in Tamil Nadu in a few weeks.

Mr.Sanjiv Gupta, the head of operations at Coca-Cola India said the company's focus on providing the consumer with more options in the non-alcoholic fruit-flavoured beverages category is an outcome of in-house research that showed that customers worldwide are increasingly favouring beverages which provide not only good taste but also health-related benefits.

Mr Gupta said the company visualises a huge business potential in the untapped beverage market both in the urban and rural areas. ``We gradually plan to enter into the ready-to-drink tea and coffee market. However, it is too early to lay out details,'' he added.

Sunfill is formulated as an instant ready-to-mix soft drink concentrate and does not require mixing of sugar or any other ingredient.

It reportedly provides a deep and strong taste and is enriched with vitamins and calcium. Sunfill is marketed in a 25 gm sachet and a multi-serve pillow pouch of 200 gm priced at Rs 2 and Rs15 respectively.

While launching the orange-flavoured concentrate, Mr Gupta said the company, which is now procuring the product from a contract manufacturer based in Bhopal, expects to launch the product in other flavours including mango, ilaichi and other fruit-based flavours.

Sunfill enters the market barely a month after Coca-Cola introduced its energy drink Shock.

The company has lined up a multi-media campaign and ground level signage to promote the product.

On recent reports of contamination in one of its products, Mr Gupta said that the matter is sub-judice and that there is no problem with the product.

Pic.: Mr Sanjiv Gupta, Vice-President, Coca-Cola India, launching the powdered softdrink concentrate, Sunfill.

Picture by A. Roy Chowdhury