Working with the right supplier to bring a new beverage to market (1)
With the middle class growing rapidly in emerging markets throughout South East Asia, Latin America and Africa, there is increased demand for new food and beverage products. While this represents a significant opportunity for bottlers to introduce new beverages, it also presents various logistical challenges that inherently come with bringing a new product to market.
From concept to consumption, there are many steps required to effectively bring a beverage to the store shelves; from research and development (R&D) and facility design, to quality assurance and control, and marketing to the consumer. If overlooked or not handled effectively, any one of these complex factors can slow or even halt product entry into a particular marketplace. The good news is that bottlers can work with technical services providers that help to ensure a seamless process from start to finish and every step of the way.
Meeting demand for new products
Consumers constantly seek out new food and beverage products. Meeting this fluctuating demand is no simple endeavour. New product R&D is a complex and involved process that involves highly skilled specialists in a laboratory who research different ingredients to create exciting, fresh formulas for new products. Flavour profiles must be analysed and artfully crafted to the preferences of regional consumers. A good example can be found in the increasing popularity of “super-fruits,” including Acai-, Baobab-, and Guaraná-based drinks. Pomegranate, Lychee and Acerola flavours are also increasingly popular all over the world. These natural ingredients often provide energy and vitamins, meeting growing demand for functional beverages that are natural and nutritious.
In some cases, R&D might involve the reformulation of an existing product, tailored to the specific consumer tastes of a new market. For example, driven by consumer demand for all-natural ingredients, a beverage might be reformulated using cane sugar versus an artificial sweetener. This must be accomplished without affecting the consistency that consumers have come to expect from an existing brand.
Enlisting help
Technical services suppliers can help streamline an otherwise daunting R&D process. With an experienced team of scientists and technicians armed with market research that pinpoints local taste preferences, the right supplier can significantly identify and actualise the right flavour profile for a given market.
Facilities designed for success
Whether building a new beverage bottling facility from scratch, or modernising an existing plant, there are several key areas of focus, including site selection, equipment procurement, and the retention and training of plant personnel.
When choosing an initial site for a bottling operation, the first thing to determine is whether or not the current onsite facility is up to code. Does it meet international, national, and local building codes for food and beverage manufacturing operations? Working in conjunction with a knowledgeable technical services supplier, alongside local architects and contractors, can help ensure that a facility is up to code and ready to begin the business of bottling beverages. In addition, it is important to consider aesthetics. The external appearance of a plant represents the brand and can inadvertently convey a negative message about the cleanliness and professionalism of a bottling operation.
Once a proper site has been selected, the right equipment and personnel must be acquired and put into action. Complex equipment – including filling, capping and labelling machinery – is necessary to meet demand efficiently and cost-effectively. Plant personnel must then be trained to properly operate the bottling equipment. In addition to the trained staff necessary to run day-to-day manufacturing line operations, a modern bottling plant needs specialised staff, including engineers, chemists and flavor technicians.
Enlisting help
A strong technical services supplier will be able to assist in the retaining and training of the employees a bottling operation needs to run properly. Additionally, these service suppliers can help bottlers determine the best possible equipment to suit their needs, speeds and annual volumes – as well as designing a facility that can accommodate future growth as part of a long-term business strategy.
Identifying, maintaining a quality water supply
Quality assurance can mean many things from food safety concerns to beverage flavour and colour consistency. The cleanliness of a bottling plant is a big part of food safety. When providing beverages for consumption, it is absolutely vital that the plant not only meet, but exceed international, national and local standards for food and beverage operations. Here is where a strong technical services supplier comes into play. Bottlers can leverage supplier expertise in regulatory affairs, helping to ensure compliance with existing and future provisions of new legislation, such as the Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA).
Arguably, the most important aspect of beverage manufacturing is the procurement of safe and reliable water sources. While not as much of a challenge in North America and Western Europe, this is a hurdle faced in many emerging markets. Continuous water supply monitoring is needed to ensure that the water chemistry remains consistent. Weekly microbiological testing is also required to prevent contamination, which can result in lost revenue due to product recalls as well as irreparable damage to the brand. Water samples should be analysed on a quarterly basis, and complete water analysis should be cross-checked with national standards for target markets on an annual basis.
Water sampling practices will depend on the type of treatment system in use. For example, a reverse-osmosis (RO) system can accommodate testing every six hours. Conventional water treatment systems should be checked every hour.
By: Moshy Cohen