Coca-Cola India is planning to introduce a carbonated juice drink christened Fanta Green Mango in the country to appeal to the Indian palate.
The drink is being projected as 'juice with fizz formulation'; containing 10.4% juice concentrate that is produced by local farmers and pulp processors.
Said to be the company's second product launch in 2016, Fanta Green Mango is slated to be launched in the country this week, after it was unveiled at the Make in India Summit at Mumbai, India on 14 February.
At the product launch Coca-Cola India and South West Asia president Venkatesh Kini said: "The launch of our latest 'Juice with Fizz' innovation, is rooted in Govt's vision for the food processing sector and the role that the beverage industry can play in benefitting Indian farmers. It is also in keeping with our focus of providing more choice to the consumer.
"With Maaza and Minute Maid range of juices already in our stable, the addition of Fanta Green Mango will allow us to further leverage our system's value chain in procuring ingredients and raw materials from the fruit farming community."
The latest beverage from the Coca-Cola stable has been specifically made to suit the Indian taste at Coca-Cola India's R&D center in Gurgaon, Delhi, with suggestions from the R&D centers in Atlanta and Shanghai.
Fanta Green Mango claims to offer consumers an authentic taste experience along with an added punch of carbonation. The drink will be made available in a 300 ml can and would retail for Rs 30.
About the product formulation, Coca-Cola India technical and supply chain vice president Asim Parekh said: "Developing this product was a significant R&D challenge to begin with. The "juice with fizz" formulation poses challenges of product stability and preservation. It also needs a heightened level of microbiological safety and stability.
"When embarking on the exercise, we were also cognizant of the fact that most of the fruits grown in India are "table use" varieties, and not the processing varieties. This probably is also one of the reasons for low fruit processing in India. Barring Mango, Litchi and small quantities of other tropical fruits like Guava etc., the Indian non-alcoholic beverage industry uses mostly imported fruit pulp for products."
Initially, the product will be launched in Delhi and NCR regions through ecommerce website Grofers and will later on expand to other modes of retail.
Under the exclusive partnership with Grofers, the ecommerce platform will be in charge of creating awareness regarding the product through special promotions, sampling of the product to wider consumer base and to create stronger product engagement opportunities with dedicated Fanta Green Mango stores where they can sample the product.
