Coca-Cola to bring Middle East juice brand to India as consumer interest increases
Coca-Cola’s move is set to challenge rivals currently in the category, such as PepsiCo’s Tropicana, ParleAgro’s Frooti, and Hector Beverages’ Paper Boat.
For some time, Coca-Cola India has been developing its non-aerated juice drinks in the market, such as Minute Maid and Maaza, including with local fruits and flavours.
Development of Rani Float
According to the Economic Times, a Coca-Cola India spokesperson confirmed the launch, saying it is in the process of being imported and will soon be launched in major Indian cities.
Additionally, according to Euromonitor data in March, the consumption of carbonated beverages is slowing, with consumers becoming more health conscious and looking for healthier alternatives.
Rani Float — a development from the earlier Rani ‘smooth’ fruit juice range — was born out of a partnership between Coca-Cola and Aujan Industries, one of the largest independent beverage companies in the Middle East. Coca-Cola had purchased 50% equity in the Bahrain-based firm for close to US$1bn in 2012. Its brands include Rani and Barbican non-alcoholic beer or malt beverage.
With real fruit pieces, higher juice content and reduced sugar, Rani Float’s flavours include orange, peach, mango, pineapple, guava and grape.
According to Coca-Cola, orange and peach are the most popular flavours of Rani Float in the Middle East countries.
Almost exactly three years ago, Coca-Cola introduced Rani Float to Pakistan, seeking to replicate its success in the Middle East.
Other recent developments
Coca-Cola India also produces Sprite and Thums Up, the top two carbonated drinks in the Indian market.
Not long ago, in line with its healthier push, Coca-Cola India launched its first no-sugar variant of popular local soft drink Thums Up, Thums Up Charged No Sugar, claiming it to be a “significant milestone in its sugar reduction strategy”.
Meanwhile, the firm has just launched a new campaign for Sprite in the country.
Sprite conducted consumer research to find out the imagery that comes to consumers’ minds when they think about summer. This imagery was used to create 100 unique Augmented Reality (AR) labels that consumers can scan via www.sprite.in.
At the time of publishing, Coca-Cola has not responded to our queries on Rani Float.
