Emirates Foodstuff and Mineral Water Company (Agthia) has signed an agreement with the German-based Wild Group to exclusively manufacture and distribute Capri-Sun/Capri-Sonne fruit juice drinks all over the GCC except Saudi Arabia.
Al Ain Mineral Water Company, a subsidiary of Agthia, which is the number two drinking water brand in the UAE with a market share of 23 per cent, will now add Capri-Sun to its portfolio as a stand-alone division.
Agthia will commence manufacturing and distributing Capri-Sun in the first quarter of 2009, joining beverage giants such as Coca-Cola and Kraft that have been manufacturing and distributing Capri-Sun in the UK, France and the US.
Capri-Sun, the third largest fruit-juice brand globally, is also the world’s No1 kids’ juice drink with the UAE being one of the highest per capita consumption markets in the world.
Capri-Sun is produced in 18 countries and is enjoyed by children in more than 100.
“Besides being ‘all natural’ in ingredients, the ‘stand-up pouch’ made of an extremely thin multilayer foil has become Capri-Sun’s trademark, setting it ahead amongst competition as a modern, convenient, fun pack,” Capri-Sun area sales director Farhan Siddiqi said.
Agthia CEO Ilias Assimakopoulos said the company was extremely excited about this new venture and hoped that Capri-Sun would be a perfect complement to its existing product range.
“The partnership with Wild & Capri-Sun fits perfectly with our strategy to convert Al Ain Mineral Water operation into a full beverage company. At Agthia, we feel it is our responsibility to provide consumers with products which are healthy in the purest sense, and which have built their reputation on quality. Capri-Sun is a well-established brand in the UAE with tremendous growth potential not only in the UAE, but in other GCC markets as well.”
In other comments, Rashed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Agthia board’s chairman, said: “With a great domestic history and an eye on regional expansion, we believe Agthia is on the right track. Partnerships with Wild & Capri-Sun will help us climb to the top of the FMCG tree.”
Siddiqi noted that Capri-Sun had come a long way since its launch in the UAE more than two decades ago.
“A generation has grown up enjoying Capri-Sun as a brand, which is still very dear to them. We believe Agthia with its professional management team very well understands this aspect and what it takes to keep this spirit alive for the next generations to come,” he added.
The Gulf is a vibrant market for beverages thanks to protracted and high-temperature summers. Production facilities for dairy and beverage products are among the largest and most sophisticated in Asia.
