Brand revival: Energy drink Dark Dog establishes Asia HQ in Singapore, maps regional distribution plans

24-Feb-2021 - Last updated on 24-Feb-2021 at 01:24 GMT

Dark Dog has set up an office in Singapore in January 2021, serving the Asia region ©Dark Dog Organic

Austrian energy drink brand Dark Dog has established its Asia headquarters in Singapore as it looks to expand regional distribution of its organic product range.

This was a revival of the brand, which first entered Singapore in 2012, with the original, non-organic Dark Dog energy drink range. However, the business failed to succeed and closed in 2015.

The firm has now opened a Singapore office and is pinning its hopes on its organic products, which it hopes will eventually also be launched in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea.

The organic drinks are currently sold in Austria, France, Europe and is hugely popular in South America. It is manufactured in France.

What’s in it

The Dark Dog brand was first launched in 1995, and in 2010, the founders decided to develop an organic range to tap into the healthier lifestyle trend among consumers worldwide.

After many years of research and development, it released the organic products in 2016, which were also USDA certified organic and non-GMO verified.

Sales of the organic range have grown in the double-digits since the launch, and the company is aiming for a 50% increase this year, with new distribution channels in Asia and France.

According to marketing manager Lester Raphael Ong, about 90% of existing energy drinks in the market are high in carbohydrates, sodium and calories.

“Dark Dog’s organic energy drinks are low-calorie, low in sodium, vegan, gluten-free, and contains no artificial sweeteners,” he said.

In addition, it is high in antioxidants and provides 50% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

There are currently four SKUs, which are coconut water, cranberry mint, blood orange and original.

Some of these products contain only 35 calories for 355mL (per can). In comparison, Red Bull’s energy drinks contains about 168 calories for 369mL, while Monster Energy’s contains 101 calories for 240mL. Each can contains 114mg of natural caffeine.

The functional ingredients include organic guarana (natural caffeine for focus and mental energy), organic green coffee extract (increase dopamine to boost energy and mood), and organic acerola berry (for vitamin C, weight loss, collagen production and aid in heart disease prevention).

According to Ong, the company hopes to target the active lifestyle consumers in Singapore, which comprises athletes and gym-goers, as well as desk-bound workers looking for an energy boost.

D2C model

In Singapore, the drinks are currently available on e-commerce platform Lazada, retailing for SG$13 (US$9.80) for four cans.

The company is aiming to get its products into Amazon, online grocery retailer RedMart, and Shopee Mall.

Ong said the online channel for local supermarket chain NTUC has expressed interest too.

“Our business strategy is to create a lot of awareness because our target audience do not know us, and even if they are aware of the Dark Dog brand in the past, the organic version is completely new in Singapore. We have to generate awareness through social media influencers of our target audience.”