SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2015
Almond Facts
19
Almond Breeze
Adds South Africa to
Expansion Portfolio
A strategic partnership with Good Hope International
Beverages (GHIB) in Cape Town, South Africa has opened up
an entirely new continent to
Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze
.
GHIB is the first South African producer of almondmilk. As
a licensee, GHIB will locally produce and distribute three
flavors of
Almond Breeze
— 1-liter and 250-milliliter sized
Original
and
Unsweetened Original
, and 1-liter packages of
Barista Blend
.
GHIB is the largest producer of the highest quality natural food and
beverage products in South Africa. It’s own brands are currently
marketed and distributed consistently in more than 40 countries around
the globe, affording
Blue Diamond
a significant reach for its expanding product lines.
With this launch in Africa,
Almond Breeze
is now available on almost every continent!
Similar to other international launches, South Africa is targeting households’ health managers – those
who make healthy food purchasing decisions – and health-savvy women between 16 and 54 years
old. “These individuals tend to be drawn to great tasting new products with attributes that promise to improve health and
wellness,” Brendan Binder,
Almond Breeze
Business Director for
Blue Diamond Growers
.
The official launch took place at the Good Food
and Wine show in Johannesburg at the end of July
and reception has been quite positive. On the retail
front, the region’s three major retailers now carry the
Original
and
Unsweetened
items. A multi-tiered marketing
program consisting of public relations outreach, digital
advertising, social media and in-store marketing is
supporting the launch, generating quite a buzz around
the products. In just the first month, media coverage
led to 19 different stories online and on the radio,
leading to more than 250,000 impressions!
“For those on the fence about our product, we’re
offering in-store ‘wet demos’ where consumers can directly sample our
Almond Breeze
during peak shopping times,” Binder
said. “These, coupled with our banner advertising in grocery aisles and free-standing shelf units in cereal and milk aisles are
sure to catch consumers’ attention.”
The foodservice attention toward
Barista Blend
has also been impressive with
a major coffee chain set to feature the item on their menu in September.
Marketing in the foodservice space required a more business-to-business
approach to gain distribution. The product’s healthful qualities compared
to milk and other non-dairy alternatives come out on top, with
Almond
Breeze
posting 30 percent fewer calories than skim milk and regular soy milk
among other health attributes. “Most importantly, we want our foodservice
customers to know that our
Barista Blend’s
flavor complements the world’s
finest coffees in terms of taste and provides the consistency necessary for
frothing, key to visual appeal,” Binder explained.
A wide range of marketing materials will enforce the
Barista Blend
launch –
from cup sleeves and coasters, to branded apparel, flyers, posters and banners.
For devoted
Barista Blend
cappuccino drinkers, coupons and loyalty cards will
reinforce purchase behavior. “We hope these items will help cement
Barista
Blend
almondmilk as the ‘new coffee fix’ in South Africa!” said Binder.
South
Africa
