The UMAMI COLA is packaged in an upside-down Coke can to give consumers a unique can-opening experience. But the uniqueness of UMAMI COLA does not stop there: the founder, Mr. Takahisa Yamada, found inspiration from Japan's time-honored sake brewing techniques and created a "crafting" cola with herbs - using the original sweet rice koji of the Bakaishan Group instead of sugar, and the ingredients include arginine, niacin, BCAA, GABA, and B vitamins contained in energy drinks in addition to elderflower, holy basil, and Taiwan lemon.
In the "Beverage Innovation" sub-forum of the FBIF2024 Food and Beverage Innovation Forum, Takahisa Yamada, founder of UMAMI COLA, presented a panel discussion titled "UMAMI COLA: How to Disrupt Coke?" Turn the Coke can upside down, and let the Coke also "craft brew"" as the theme of sharing.
山田贵久,创始人,UMAMI COLA
[The following is based on the speech, and the content is abridged]
1. Japan craft cola
1、什么是精酿可乐（Craft Cola)
Hello everyone, please take care of your first meeting. I'm Takahisa Yamada from UMAMI COLA, Japan.
UMAMI COLA is a type of craft cola, and I don't know if you know about craft cola. In the past, there were many craft colas around the world, and they were often considered premium craft colas with just a little spice added to regular cola. And what I want to introduce today is craft cola that has become a topic of conversation and popular in Japan, which is different from traditional craft cola. The craft cola we introduced this time uses many natural herbs and is made by our craftsmen using exquisite techniques. Although there is also a traditional craft cola in Japan, we have made a distinction. The craft cola we introduced is a little different from the traditional one. There are many types of craft coke, and you can see a lot of pictures about it.
UMAMI COLA分享资料
2. Types of craft cola
Craft cola with a special flavor
As you mentioned earlier, there are many colas made with local specialties in Japan. In addition, there are fruit-based colas that express their characteristics through various ingredients, such as fruit colas such as citrus, lemon, pineapple, and more. Some colas are made with spices or herbs that, when added to the drink, sometimes give a bit of spicy and unique aroma.
Craft cola with added herbs
In addition, there is a class of cola with added herbs or similar substances in Chinese medicine. There is herbal cola in Europe and similar herbal cola in Japan. Although the flavors vary, these craft colas in Japan are mainly sold in stores.
Blended craft cola
There is also a craft cola that is specially used to blend with other beverages, which is made into a syrup that can be mixed with carbonated water, yogurt, milk, black tea, green tea, etc. This craft cola is very popular in Japan.
There are various types of craft cola in Japan, and this is only a part of it, but there are actually more than a thousand types of craft cola, and it is said that craft cola may have originated in Japan. Although there are some craft colas overseas, most of them are also made by Japan. I am now the president of the Craft Coke Alliance, and sometimes I travel to Thailand and Taiwan to help locals make craft cola based on local characteristics. We were also contacted by a chef in Paris who was trying his hand at making his own craft cola. Japan's craft cola is gradually being promoted around the world.
二、颠覆传统可乐的UMAMI COLA
UMAMI COLA分享资料
1、UMAMI COLA的诞生背景
UMAMI COLA IS A CRAFT COLA AND A PIONEER IN CRAFT COLA. Why did we develop this craft coke? Six years ago, I was hospitalized urgently with acute pancreatitis. Two hours before the onset of the disease, I suddenly collapsed with abdominal pain, and the doctor decided that I would not survive until the next morning and issued a critical illness notice. However, I had no symptoms before, no headache, no malaise, fever or cough. The only sign was that I was very averse to alcohol and completely unacceptable. Later I learned that people with acute pancreatitis can't drink alcohol, probably because my body was aware of it before I knew it, so I became unacceptable to alcohol. About three or four years ago, some tasteless carbonated water appeared in Japan, which was originally used to mix alcohol, and no one drank it alone. But since I couldn't drink alcohol and didn't like drinks with additives, I started drinking this colorless and tasteless carbonated water, which became the opportunity for me to develop craft cola.
Nowadays, with social changes and the impact of the epidemic, everyone is paying more and more attention to health. The market for beverages is very large, with demand from children to the elderly. Compared to alcohol, beverages have a light smell and low price, but they are not taken seriously enough. In Japan, the beverage market is dominated by large companies, and small businesses like me face stiff competition in this market.
Although alcoholic products vary in price and have their own innovations, non-alcoholic beverages have become popular as people become more health-conscious, which has also become a trend in Europe and the United States. Since we are in the era of Web 3.0, I also hope to promote the arrival of the Drink3 era. Drink3 drinks are like Coca-Cola and Pepsi with juice added to them and will become healthier and more fun. At present, this drink is mostly only available in high-priced supermarkets. I want my Drink3 drinks to be available not only at high-priced supermarkets, but also at regular supermarkets and convenience stores.
2、UMAMI COLA的特点
Since Starbucks entered Japan, the coffee market has changed a lot, not only the price of coffee has increased a lot, but the staff of coffee shops have become different from the past. Previously, the clerks in Japan coffee shops were usually old men in black suits, while the clerks at Starbucks were mostly students and young people. Similarly, the introduction of hamburgers into Japan has changed people's perception of hamburgers, which used to be considered a child's food, but now adults are more than happy to taste hamburgers. So, when different brands enter the market, they change people's perceptions, and I think drinks will have the same effect. In order to make an impact in the market, UMAMI COLA has two unique features: the first is that it comes in an upside-down package, and the second is that it replaces white sugar with sweet rice koji.
Upside-down packaging
UMAMI COLA分享资料
As you can see from the Coke can on the far right of this photo, the bottom of the can is upward. Because we want to break the form of beverage packaging in the past, and strive to make everyone feel new in terms of design. To do this, we invited the best designers from all over the world to design for us. The UMAMI COLA jar design is upside down and needs to be shaken before opening. This is because the bottom of the jar is deposited with natural flavors, and in order to make it taste better, the jar needs to be shaken to evenly distribute the spices.
In the past, the ingredients on beverage cans were often marked with very small words, which was easy to be overlooked by consumers. But we think consumers should know what they're drinking, so we clearly label all the ingredients on the cans. I take eating a healthy diet very seriously, so I always go through the ingredient list of the products carefully when buying drinks. I often find that the ingredient list on the beverage can is very small, and even some drinks do not write all the ingredients, only fruit juice, orange juice, ginger juice, etc., and I am not sure that these ingredients are actually added to these products. When ordering at the restaurant, we ordered the beef set menu, which definitely had beef in it. But people don't seem to care much about whether there is ginger in the drink labeled with ginger juice, which is also a very strange phenomenon.
On the other hand, upside-down packaging is also functional. Because UMAMI COLA is a carbonated drink, consumers don't want to shake it. Even if the bottle is clearly labeled, no one may notice that it is to be shaken before drinking. UMAMI COLA CONTAINS SPICE INGREDIENTS SUCH AS CINNAMON, CARDAMOM, CLOVES, CORIANDER SEEDS, AND PEPPERCORNS, WHICH WILL BE DEPOSITED AT THE BOTTOM IF NOT SHAKEN. So we designed the packaging upside down, and if the lid is opened, it has to be flipped over, which naturally plays a shaky role. People will also be curious about this packaging, and start to carefully read the words on the bottle: "Because our delicious ingredients are deposited at the bottom, please turn it over and shake it before drinking." "This packaging design won the Asian Packaging Design Award in April 2024.
Sweet rice koji replaces white sugar
USUALLY WHITE SUGAR IS THE SOURCE OF SWEETNESS IN BEVERAGES, AND UMAMI COLA COMES FROM SWEET RICE KOJI. Rice koji is the product of rice fermentation, and its sweetness is so high that it can be used to replace white sugar in beverages. Rice koji is also very nutritious, and it is composed of more than 350 ingredients that can promote intestinal vitality and improve constipation. We asked the Hakkaisan Group, a very famous sweet sake factory in Japan, to make this sweet rice koji for craft cola. This is also the origin of UMAMI COLA's name "crafting" cola.
3、UMAMI COLA的营销模式
UMAMI COLA分享资料
As a small business in Japan, we don't have enough budget for marketing campaigns, so we have made a lot of innovations in marketing. We believe that instead of spending a lot of money on promotion, it is better to find the right areas to invest in.
Cross-border cooperation
We have partnered with Baskerin, a long-established body wash brand in Japan, to launch a craft cola-flavored bath oil. You may wonder, why is shower gel co-branded with food? In fact, Baskerin is also researching the use of mountain ginger as an ingredient in body wash, but young people may not know about it, so this collaboration was born. We also hope to further expand the popularity of UMAMI COLA by leveraging Baskerin's popularity in Japan so that young people of Generation Z can learn about UMAMI COLA.
Esports scenes
The e-sports scene is also one of the marketing scenarios of UMAMI COLA. ALTHOUGH ENERGY DRINKS ARE POPULAR AMONG ESPORTS PLAYERS, DRINKING TOO MUCH ENERGY DRINKS CAN BE TAXING ON THE BODY, SO THEY USE NATURAL UMAMI COLA AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ENERGY DRINKS, WHICH CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN PREVENTING HEAT STROKE AND REPLENISHING NUTRITION. When we learned about this phenomenon, we talked to people involved in esports and provided sponsorship for their game tournaments and other activities.
Health scenarios
We have also invested heavily in channels related to the health scene. For example, considering that most of the sauna people are also very health-conscious, we also contacted some sauna studios in the hope that they could promote UMAMI COLA. In addition, yoga is a healthy form of exercise, and we will also cooperate with yoga studios to demonstrate the functions of UMAMI COLA in terms of health. There are also running scenes, such as marathons. In fact, many marathon runners like to drink sweet wine. According to relevant data in Japan, marathon runners drinking sweet sake can help relieve fatigue. UMAMI COLA also has a similar function, so we have also assisted in hosting some marathons and related events.
三、UMAMI COLA走向世界
It didn't take long for us to start making craft cola, but it also received a lot of attention overseas, and UMAMI COLA sold even better in Singapore than in Japan. Sweet rice koji is very popular among consumers, and the drink contains ingredients that are beneficial to health, such as herbs and spices.
UMAMI COLA's marketing approach and pricing are based on consumer demand and affordability. We have done the same thing when we expand overseas, and we have received a relatively high evaluation overseas. Consumers are naturally receptive to UMAMI COLA, and after drinking it a few times, they will repurchase and continue to drink it. In the future, I would like to further sell our craft cola to the United States, China, and the world. I can't drink alcohol anymore, and there are definitely a lot of people around the world who can't drink, so I want to spread craft cola to the world so that those who can't drink can enjoy this delicious drink. Thank you very much.
Fourth, the question session
Q: You just talked about the many functional benefits of UMAMI COLA, and you added a lot of high-quality raw materials to cola. Have you observed that in global markets, such as Japan, China, and United States, are there similar flavors to UMAMI in beverages in these markets?
Takahisa Yamada: I think rice koji gives UMAMI COLA its unique color and flavor. Generally speaking, I don't think there is a soft drink that has the same taste as UMAMI COLA.
Question: You just mentioned that UMAMI COLA has a lot of functional benefits, and there are a lot of ingredients that are good for your health. Have you ever thought about expanding your products, such as Coke for the intestinal flora, Coke for the stomach, or Coke for other health aspects, I wonder what you think about expanding your product matrix or Coke variety?
Takahisa Yamada: We don't say that we are so health-conscious, and we may develop colas with various functions in the future, but our current idea is relatively simple, and we are not so much advocating the development of healthy drinks and health drinks, but rather the development of natural beverages that are beneficial to the body. Our concept is similar to that of fruit juice, which is delicious, has a natural flavor and is also good for the body. The sweet rice koji in cola itself is an ingredient that is good for health.
People in the region of origin of UMAMI COLA live very long-lived, so we develop our products with the vision of healthy longevity. In addition, we use India spices that make people more mentally stable. This product was developed during the pandemic, so everyone also paid great attention to the health attributes of the product. What you just said is very interesting, and we will consider it as well.
Question: There are two simple questions I would like to ask here, first, I would like to ask what is the distribution and situation of the consumer group accepted after the launch of this disruptive and innovative cola in Japan? The second question is about the price you just mentioned, I would like to ask specifically what is the premium of this cola compared to the original regular cola products?
Takahisa Yamada: For the first question: What kind of consumers buy our craft cola in Japan? In the beginning, there were many people who paid attention to health and beauty, especially women, and UMAMI COLA was very popular with women. Japan women have a culture of drinking herb tea and spice tea, and men are slightly less. There are also older people who feel that this craft cola is very similar to the drink they used to drink a long time ago, with no additives. In addition, children also find it very delicious after drinking UMAMI COLA.
The second point you just asked is the price, which is of course slightly more expensive than other products. 280ml is 285 yen (tax included) in Japan, which is about twice as much as regular cola. It is also slightly more expensive than energy drinks, which are about 200 yen, and because craft cola is a natural energy drink, this price is acceptable to everyone.
Q: I really like this design, it looks so delicious. In your speech, you said that sales in Singapore are better than in Japan, I would like to ask why this is the case and why it sells better in Singapore? Because after all, this is a Japan brand, it should be made for Japan, why does it sell better in Singapore than in Japan?
Takahisa Yamada: In Japan, it is actually a bit difficult for small companies to build sales channels, even more difficult than building sales channels overseas. The average store sales in Singapore are still a little higher than those in Japan, and of course the prices are different. In Japan, people don't know much about health drinks, so we need to carry out more educational activities. In November last year, UMAMI COLA sales increased very fast, and the store channels also increased a lot, so I think UMAMI COLA sales in the Japan market will increase significantly next year.
Question: Thank you very much for sharing a very interesting product, very new indeed. During your presentation of the product, what particularly caught my attention were the colors and names. So I'd like to ask you two questions, one is that you want to highlight that this product is an energy-providing drink? Is this energy understood in the Chinese market more akin to a refreshment, or is it more geared towards health functions? Because I see a lot of extracts or health-related ingredients in the ingredient list. Why add so many functional ingredients, is it filtered based on refreshing functions or healthy functions? If it's a health function, what exactly is a health function?
Second, is the reason why sweet rice koji is used because this ingredient has a certain degree of recognition in Japan? I would like to know more about the health benefits of rice koji. Is this widely recognized by Japan consumers?
Takahisa Yamada: Thank you, first of all, our sweet rice koji has a lot of similarities with many energy drinks, but our product does not contain caffeine, and we use sweet rice koji with glucose as the main nutrient. Glucose is able to provide energy directly to the brain. Therefore, the energy function of UMAMI COLA is different from that of other energy drinks. In addition, the energy drink price is 200 yen, and we are slightly more than 285 yen.
The second question about sweet rice koji, the sweet sake produced by Hakkaisan is very popular in Japan and also has the function of relieving constipation and improving the skin. In Japan, rice koji is not a household name, but people who attach great importance to health should know that rice koji is a super nutrient.
Question: Thank you for sharing, I would like to ask if this drink you said contains alcohol, and if so, what is the alcohol content? Also, how do you achieve the anti-corrosion requirements of the product shelf life?
Takahisa Yamada: Thank you for your question, first of all, the first question, which is completely alcohol-free. Although people think that rice koji is sake, it is also misunderstood in Japan. There are also two kinds of sweet sake in Japan, one is made from sake lees, and the sweet sake made from sake lees has a little alcohol, but rice koji is fermented from rice, so there is no alcohol at all.
The second point is that spices have been natural preservatives since ancient times. In addition, the carbonic acid in carbonated drinks also has a sterilizing effect, so it can also play a certain role in preservatives.
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