Dabur launches mango drink with a `twist'

Dabur Foods is giving the traditional mango drink a twist.

Mango Twist, its new sub-brand in the Real portfolio and its latest launch, comes in mango-orange and mango-papaya variants so that consumers can perceive the value addition to the drink, said Mr Amit Burman, Chief Executive Officer, Dabur Foods Ltd.

Speaking to Business Line here, Mr Burman said the launch also marked the company's entry into the Rs 1,200-crore fruit drinks market. The company's Real line has so far contained only juices and nectars, which is a Rs 200-crore category. Juices contain over 85 per cent of fruit pulp while nectars contain between 20 and 40 per cent. Drinks contain up to 10 per cent pulp.

Twist is available in a 200 ml pack for Rs 10 and one-litre pack for Rs 50. It was superior to comparable products in the mango drink category because it offered health benefits for the same price, Mr Burman claimed. The mango drink category's size is estimated at Rs 800 crore, which makes mango the most popular taste, but it also raised concerns of high sugar content and, hence, the addition of orange and papaya to assuage them and provide the consumers with Vitamins C and A, he added.

Twist is also expected to graduate consumers to the Real brand, which is perceived as pricey, Mr Burman said.

Real's market share is 60 per cent of the Rs 200-crore market, Mr Burman said. At 50 per cent growth rate, Dabur Foods has crossed that of the non-carbonated beverages category, which is growing at 40-45 per cent. For now, the company's focus will be on this market, he said, when queried about its other brands such as Hommade.

The beverages portfolio contributed Rs 115 crore to the company's Rs 130-crore turnover with Real contributing nearly Rs 90 crore and Activ contributing Rs 15 crore.

Coolers, last year's launch comprising "ethnic" Indian fruits/juices (aam panna, jamun and so on), is the other beverage brand the company owns. The company made an operating profit of Rs 5.2 crore in 2004-05.

In fact, Activ, positioned as a health beverage, has just been re-launched in an eight-sided pack to differentiate it from the rest of the Real products. An on-the-go pack of 330 ml aimed at 18-40-year-olds has also been introduced, as well as two new flavours, which are a combination of fruits and vegetables.