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Making the most of milk (and alternatives) Milk beverages (excluding white milk) accounts for 20 per cent of the total beverage segment and is worth $238 million (IRI AU Convenience Scan MAT to 8/3/20, supplied by Lion Dairy & Drinks). Playing in this catgeory is Lion Dairy & Drinks, whose Marketing and Innovation Director Darryn Wallace says its Dare Iced Coffee is performing “incredibly well”. “It’s the number one iced coffee brand and the number three impulse beverage brand,” he said. “Dare has delivering sustained growth for the past three years, making it two times larger than its nearest competitor. Our heavy investment in delivering meaningful innovation for our consumers in coffee (Triple Espresso), better for you (No Sugar Added), flavour excitement (White Choc Mocha), and promotions (Dare-Mergency), as well as our continued advertising plan, have resulted in Dare being the fastest growing major iced coffee brand (up 5.2 per cent), with competitors declining at 6.8 per cent \\\\\\\[IRI AU Convenience Scan MAT to 8/3/20\\\\\\\].” As the beverage catgeory is “very impulsive”, Mr Wallace says ensuring visibility in prominent locations is key to achieving strong sales. “Flavoured milk and iced coffee provide shoppers with the opportunity to pick up a more nutritious beverage on the go, so ensuring they’re present in the fast lane/impulse fridges is important,” he said. “Stores also need to cater for different consumers’ needs – some are looking for a treat, others a pick-me-up, or even a meal replacement – so having a range of drinks (and pack sizes and formats) targeting different consumer needs is very important.” Mr Wallace also notes that Australian coffee culture “seems inexhaustible”. In response, Lion is always innovating, says Mr Wallace, with different iced coffee variants, collaborations and derivatives. Offering an alternative to dairy is Califia Farms. The US-based company makes dairy-free plant-based beverages that it claims are “good for you, good for the environment and just plain good to drink”. Califia believes that food must be returned to its original nourishing purpose. The company achieves this, it says, via the power of plants and by championing values “inspired by Queen Califia”, the mythical namesake of the brand’s home state of California, who “pursued a life full of health, renewal and love”. Dedicated to creating low- to no-sugar, plant-based products that are also “delicious” and more sustainable, the Califia Farms range in Australia includes Unsweetened Almond milk, Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk, Chocolate Coconut Almond Blend, XX Espresso Cold Brew Coffee, Mocha Cold Brew Coffee, Mocha Noir Cold Brew Coffee and Oat Barista Blend. BEVERAGES “Flavoured milk and iced coffee provide shoppers with the opportunity to pick up a more nutritious beverage on the go, so ensuring they’re present in the fast lane/impulse fridges is important.” MAY/JUN, 2020 CONVENIENCE WORLD 43