Chennai, Jan 25 (IANS) Beverages major Coca-Cola India on Friday expanded its Minute Maid product range by launching a grape fruit based sparkling drink branded as Colour, said a top company official.
People in Tamil Nadu towns and villages used to call soft drink 'Colour'. Coca-Cola India has branded its new grape juice sparkler as 'Colour' to resonate with the local lingo.
He also said the company would launch a new product in Andhra Pradesh that would be branded under a similar philosophy.
"The new grape juice based Colour is launched here and will be focused on Tamilian population within India. The product is part of our strategy of expanding our fruit based beverages," T.Krishnakumar, President, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, told reporters here.
He said the company apart from focusing on its core products -carbonated drinks - also concentrates on launching products preferred in regional markets and also on expanding the 'fruit circular economy' - launching fruit based drinks made with domestically grown fruits.
"The black grapes for the drink are sourced from grape farmers in South India," Krishnakumar said.
He did not agree that the new brand 'Colour' under the broader Minute Maid brand would reduce the latter's brand equity. Minute Maid brand is known as a fruit based beverage brand.
"We are expanding the products under the Minute Maid brand. The new product has 12 per cent grape juice content," Krishnakumar said.
According to Srideep Kesavan, Director-Juices, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, research showed that grape juice was a fast moving product at fruit juice stalls in Tamil Nadu.
Queried about cutting down on the sugar content in the company's beverages, Krishnakumar said it will come down soon and a start has been made with the grape sparkler Colour with 9.5 grams of sugar.
On the value of fruit pulp/products that Coca-Cola India would source under its 'fruit circular economy' he said the company had committed that a sum of Rs.5,000 crore would be spent on that head by 2023 and the company is in line with that commitment.
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