A major challenge for brands, in the non-alcoholic market segment, globally, today, is the increasing sophistication of consumers in that market and the attendant changes in their tastes. Consumers, in the market, are becoming increasingly health- conscious, more discerning and highly meticulous in their choice of soft drinks.
This development has, no doubt, put brands in the market segment under intense pressure to either meet the changing tastes of these highly discerning consumers, or be left behind by competition.
Interestingly, the debut of the La Casera Apple, a real apple content of 5 per cent in a PET bottle, has been described by, not a few market watchers, as a demonstration of the brand custodians’ grasp of the present realities in that market segment.
According to Medical News Daily, apple is best known as a nutritional powerhouse, since it contains Vitamin C, which is a powerful natural antioxidant capable of blocking some of the damage caused by free radicals in our body, as well as boosting the body’s resistance against infectious diseases. The journal also added that apple contains B-complex vitamins, which are key in maintaining red blood cells and keeping the nervous system in good health.
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Some other medical pundits rate apples as one of the healthiest fruits in the world, for they are extremely rich in antioxidants, flavonoids and dietary fibre, thereby providing improved digestion and prevent stomach and eye disorders. According to food scientists, there are over 7,000 variants of apples in the world.
The introduction of the real apple content, as against the flavoured content, no doubt demonstrates the brand’s commitment to walk the ‘health journey’ with its consumers, going by the importance of apple to human health.
Manufactured by The La Casera Company (TLCC) Plc., the apple variant remains one of several offerings, such as Smoov Chapman, Bold Bitter Lemon, Nirvana Premium Table Water and others, in the stable of the soft drink company, incorporated in Nigeria in the year 2000.
Discussing the La Casera Apple ‘disruption’ of the market with Brands & Marketing, recently, the company’s Managing Director, Mr Chinedum Okereke, described the apple variant as ‘the best soft drink that any consumer hungry for the benefits associated with apple in the apple soft drink market can yearn for.
“Enjoying La Casera Apple, consumers will certainly get those nutrients associated with apple in the brand’s 5 per cent real apple content. The emphasis is on real apple content. La Casera Apple is not offering apple flavour, but real apple content, thereby making us the company offers the highest apple content in the nation’s soft drink market today,” Okereke asked.
Perhaps the popularity of the brand is seen in its visibility in major markets in Lagos and across Nigeria, a brand analyst, Mrs. Kemi Olayiwola, stated.
“It is a common sight to see consumers with different SKUs of the La Casera Apple brand. The same can also be said about social events, as event organisers often offer different SKUs of the brand,” Mrs. Olayiwola added.
Interestingly, 32-year-old Hameeda Ademola, a consumer of the brand, who resides in Ketu area of Lagos metropolis, revealed that she is attracted to the brand, simply because of its health benefits.
Ademola, who claims to have been taking the soft drink brand since it was introduced into the nation’s market, some years ago, also commended the brand custodian for the different innovations it is bringing into that market segment.
“I love La Casera Apple because of that unique apple taste, and the fact that it is a drink that enhances my health,” Ademola added.
For Mrs Esther Ebuka, a soft drink trader at Ikeja, the La Casera Apple remains one of the brands that has been driving her business.
“The La Casera Apple brand turns over quickly in the market. Consumers frequently request for the brand. People also stock it for parties and other social functions. Men, women and kids all love it as well,” the forty year-old trader stated.
Interestingly, since making its debut in the nation’s soft drinks market, the company activities and offerings hav continued to disrupt the market.
For instance, besides the La Casera Apple, which has continued to be a major disruptor, because of its immense health benefits, the introduction of the PET bottles into that market segment, has no doubt changed the face of the market for good.
For instance, in a bid to enhance the environment for business and sustainability, the company introduced PET bottles, as against the returnable glass bottles (RGB), that were in use then. Though other operators in the market have since keyed in, it is an open secret that the first comer advantage reaped by the brand, with this innovation, remains its access to more than 50 per cent of the CSD market.
Seeing the uniqueness of the innovation La Casera Apple brought into the Nigerian soft drink market, other players in the market adopted PET bottles for its convenience for consumers, re-sealability and recyclability.
Commending the management of the company for always ‘putting on their thinking caps’, a nutritionist with the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Mr Alex Osazuwa, advised that the country should adopt the ingenuity brought into the manufacturing of the La Casera Apple brand in improving soft drink offerings.
“I think Nigerians appreciate it when a brand goes the extra mile to offer its consumers something extra. I really applaud the makers of La Casera Apple for the ingenuity that they brought into the production of the brand. By consuming La Casera Apple, consumers are no doubt consuming marginal amounts of apple, which is admirable in a soft drink,” Osazuwa stated.
Jotna Group Marketing Director, Mr Emmanuel Agu, urged La Casera consumers to expect more from the La Casera brand in 2019, adding that the brand won’t drop its standard in meeting the yearning of consumers in Nigeria. Jotna is the parent company of TLCC, the makers of La Casera Apple drink.
“The La Casera Apple brand no doubt has been able to achieve her enviable feat not only because of its strategic communications, but for the fact that it meets consumer needs innovatively. La Casera Apple is refreshing, it is accessible and it has a unique crispy apple taste because of the presence of real apple juice content in it,” Agu added.
He added that the La Casera Apple is produced in the best hygienic environment, in tune with global standards.
“Production standards have consistently been maintained at the highest levels, as attested by the successful certification from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and by annual technical and quality systems audits from Zenith International, a United Kingdom based consultancy firm, which checks adherence to international beverage production standards.
“In 2019, La Casera Apple is not going to drop its enviable standards, we are motivated to raise it. Consumers should expect the best from La Casera Apple,” he stated.
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