Reporter | Zhao Xiaojuan
Edit | Zan Huifang
The apple cider vinegar beverage segment ushered in a giant company.
Recently, Coca-Cola's Meijuyuan apple cider vinegar drink launched a new product listing activity in Shenzhen. According to the product introduction, this apple cider vinegar drink is fermented with 100% apple juice, incorporated into bubbles, low in sugar and zero fat.
Coca-Cola told Interface News that the reason for the launch of low-sugar and 0-fat apple cider vinegar beverage products is based on consumer demand for healthy juices, which is also in line with the trend of more and more beverage health labels. The apple cider vinegar drink has been on the market since December, and the first products are sold in parts of Guangdong Province (except Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Zhaoqing, Yangjiang and Yunfu).
Interface news inquiry found that the current Juice Source apple cider vinegar drink in the Coca-Cola Jingdong flagship store shows no stock, can only be purchased through the channels of some dealers, a box (330 ml * 15) price in the range of 64-92 yuan, a single bottle of about 4.2 yuan - 6 yuan.
In the Jingdong Daojia platform to retrieve offline retail channels, it can be seen that at present, the apple cider vinegar drinks sold by offline retailers such as Guangzhou Yonghui, Wal-Mart, and China Resources are mostly Tiandi No. 1, and meijuyuan apple cider vinegar drinks have not yet entered these offline channels.
A beverage distributor in Guangzhou told Interface News that he had already obtained a sample of Apple Cider Vinegar from MeiJuyuan. As a subdivision of beverages, apple cider vinegar drink is a very popular accompaniment product throughout Guangdong, and the drinking scene includes family meals and restaurant meals. As the most well-known brand in Guangdong in apple cider vinegar beverages, Tiandi One sells even more than Coca-Cola and Pepsi In some hypermarkets. However, Coca-Cola entered this market segment with the Mei juice source brand, and with its brand awareness and channel influence, "it will still eat some markets".
Founded in 2002, Tiandi No.1 is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and sales of vinegar beverages, and has a high reputation in the South China market, and the company has been listed on the New Third Board. According to the financial report of Tiandi No. 1, its operating income in 2019 was 2.585 billion yuan, an increase of 22.37% over the same period of the previous year; and the net profit was 400 million yuan, an increase of 16.38% over the same period of the previous year. Apple cider vinegar beverages account for 97% of overall sales.
In 2019, Tiandi One had planned to expand the deeper juice market through a joint venture with Huiyuan Juice, but the plan aborted a few months later.
Interface News visited Beijing Jingkelong Supermarket and found that the supermarket has Huiyuan apple cider vinegar drinks for sale, and the price of 300 ml glass bottles is 6.5 yuan. A supermarket clerk said that apple cider vinegar drinks are not easy to accept in the Beijing market, and the sales of this Huiyuan apple cider vinegar are more general, compared with carbonated drinks such as the Arctic Ocean, which sell better and occupy a larger row of noodles.
In China, apple cider vinegar drinks are still a very niche category, and in the market competition in this field, it is currently a monopoly of Tiandi No. 1. Searching for apple cider vinegar drinks on online platforms such as JD.com and Taobao, the highest sales volume is not only Tiandi No. 1, but also apple cider vinegar beverage brands such as Lujie, Yijia Orchard, and Qingjingyuan (South Korea).
Nowadays, Coca-Cola cuts into this market segment through the Mei juice source brand, whether it can set off a splash is not known, but in the consumer's cognition, the products of the Mei juice source are more juice drinks, and suddenly adding apple cider vinegar drinks will confuse the recognition of the Mei juice source brand itself?
Coca-Cola does not seem to be worried, and replied to Interface News that In recent years, Coca-Cola has continued to rationalize its product portfolio, taking into account the scaling potential of products and local consumer insights, in order to develop a global, regional and local brand portfolio with stronger growth potential.