Evian’s portfolio expansion: ‘Old age doesn’t mean we’re settling down and sticking with the status quo!’

12-Apr-2021 - Last updated on 12-Apr-2021 at 13:20 GMT

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Bottled water evian’s brand story goes back some 200 years: and over that time it’s been very much focused on its core natural mineral water. But this month it is expanding into new categories of sparkling flavored, functional and canned products with the launch of evian+.

Portfolio expansion only began in earnest in 2016 with the launch of evian Fruits + Plants. And since then, new launches have been focused around the brand’s core values: such as building on the water’s natural mineral content with added magnesium and zinc with functional beverage evian+ this month; and driving forward its sustainability ethos with 100% rPET, label-free bottles and designer glass bottles.

'Feed your mind' functionality

Evian’s brand story goes back to 1789, with the discovery of the source in the French lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains. Now a Danone brand, the water has been exported to the US since 1978 as well as to a number of global markets.

Innovations to date have included evian Fruits & Plants, rPET bottles, label-free bottles and premium glass bottles. Its latest launch of evian+ focuses on helping cognitive function: seeking to build on the brand’s existing mineral water credentials (the water is ‘naturally enhanced with electrolytes and minerals’: containing 80mg/l of calcium and 26mg/l of magnesium from its filtration through the French Alps).

A 330ml can of Evian+, however, boosts magnesium content to 50mg or 12% of the daily recommended intake (150mg per liter), alongside 1.1mg zing representing 10% of the daily recommended intake (3.3mg per liter): creating a brand with added minerals to help support normal cognitive function.

Rather than jump onto immunity like many other brands in pandemic times, enhanced minerals keeps in line with the brand's existing credentials, Shweta Harit, evian Global Vice President, told BeverageDaily.

“Our new evian+ ‘feed your mind’ proposition builds on evian’s health credentials and a positioning the brand has developed over the last 200 years,” Shweta Harit, evian Global Vice President, told BeverageDaily.

“The new drink is created with evian natural mineral water and its naturally occurring minerals, further enhanced with a hint of natural flavors and enhanced with magnesium and zinc which supports normal cognitive function.”

The sparkling water range is available in four flavors: lime and ginger; grapefruit and basil; cucumber and mint and raspberry and ginseng.

“This new range is particularly exciting for evian, as it demonstrates innovation through the expansion of the brand’s product portfolio and marks the addition of two new product categories for evian – functional and sparkling flavored,” said Harit.

“The new format has also allowed us to meet another consumer need in providing a source of magnesium and zinc which supports cognitive function. It’s the first time we’ve launch a beverage that supplements health.

“In this digital age, with the ping of notifications part of everyday life, we understand the importance of synchronization and have created evian+ to champion the transformative feeling of the mind and body in true flow.”

The drink was developed with US consumers in mind, says Harit, and it launches this month across the US and Canada including at Walgreens and CVS. Other retailers to soon be added include Amazon Ahold, Fresh Direct, Loblaws, SBE locations and Curator Hotels and Resorts.

However, international markets are set to follow: with rollouts in Belgium and Switzerland later this month.

Innovation watch

So what’s next? Further innovations are likely to focus on another core part of evian’s brand proposition, which is sustainability (the brand has been certified carbon neutral and uses 100% rPET bottles in the UK and US, among other initiatives).

“Our speciality has always and will always be natural mineral water,” says Harit. “We’ve been sharing evian water with the world for over 230 years, but old age doesn’t mean we’re settling down and sticking with the status quo when it comes to both our products or our mission! From sustainability innovations to exciting designer collaborations, we’re always thirsty for fresh challenges and creating new solutions to benefit today and future generations.

“Building on this launch, we’ll of course continue to innovate according to our sustainability mission and achieve our 2025 circularity goal, focusing on bringing the best portfolio to encourage consumers to hydrate with evian’s pure taste and perfect balance of minerals.”