Universal Robina Corp. (URC) is venturing into the Pesos 6.5 billion (US$113.4 million) cultured milk category through a partnership with Asahi Beverages Philippines (Asahi).
URC announced that it is launching Goodday cultured milk drinks, soon to be sold at stores nationwide, to meet Filipinos demand for healthier food products. Goodday contains Lactobacillus Paracasei MCC1849 to help improve immunity. This strain is also known to help prevent the common cold, promote production of antibodies and enhance the effects of certain vaccines.
For a start, Goodday will be available in 2 packaging sizes i.e. 50ml and 80ml and in 3 flavors – original, strawberry and mango.
URC President and CEO Irwin Lee said, “Consumers have made health and wellness a priority over the past few years, and URC’s joint ventures and product innovations in beverages are ready to address their needs.”
Asahi Chief Executive Hemalatha Ragavan said, “We strongly believe that Goodday will be made available in all of URC’s distribution networks across the Philippines, and in the hands of our loyal consumers as the demand for immunity-boosting health beverages continue to rise.” Goodday is also Asahi’s first foray into the Philippine’s beverage market.
Based on Nielsen Retail Audit 2020, cultured milk is the fastest-growing RTD beverage category in the Philippines. It has outpaced yogurt and milk, while other categories have seen a decline.
COVID-19 pandemic and the adversities brought by it has led to Filipinos having greater concern over their health. According to Lee, “Filipinos now have a sharper, more personal take on the maxim ‘Health is wealth’, and we are here to respond to that with products like Goodday.”
URC is one of the largest food companies in the Philippines with sizeable business in beverages that include bottled water, juices, RTD teas and coffee. It currently has a partnership with Danone in the Philippines, and also distributes HK-based Vitasoy range of soy-based drinks in the Philippines.
Asahi has strong presence in dairy due to the assets it acquired in 2014 from Etika International Holdings which gave it significant presence in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. The group is still seeking to expand in Southeast Asia by using its business in Malaysia as the ‘cash cow’ to fund its expansion. It currently owns 2 factories in Malaysia, 2 in Indonesia and 1 in Myanmar.
Asahi aims to expand into the ‘premium beverage’ category and minimises its dependency on ‘condensed milk’, a category which it has strong market position due to the Etika acquisition.
