A large chunk of the growth in the beverage category in North America over the next decade will come from products in categories that do not even exist today, predicts Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) team.
Created in 2007, Coke’s VEB team is on a mission to identify the firm’s next generation of billion-dollar brands in North America, with recent investments including NOS energy, FUZE juice drinks, Honest Tea, Zico coconut water, Core Power protein drinks and illy issimo ready-to-drink coffee beverages.
In a Q&A with VEB president Deryck van Rensburg and director of business development Matthew Mitchell running on the Coca-Cola website, van Rensburg said:
“We estimate that as much as one-third of our industry’s growth in North America over the next five to 10 years could come from disruptive brands in categories that do not exist today.”
You won’t find the next big thing by studying third-party research reports. You have to be out in the market
Echoing comments made by Coke’s chief procurement officer Ron Lewis at the Supply Side West show in which he said Coke has to “think and act like a lean start-up company”, van Rensburg said VEB was looking at brands making waves in “places our red trucks don’t visit”.
Bosses are also aware that they won’t identify the next big thing by “studying third-party research reports”, he said.
“We spend a lot of our time outside the office at conferences, expos and trade shows such asNatural Products ExpoWest, and meeting with distributors, retailers and entrepreneurs.
“We can’t ignore the small, entrepreneurial brands popping up in unconventional outlets – such as health and beauty spas, natural food stores, gyms, yoga studios and other places our red trucks don’t visit.”
We can’t ignore the small, entrepreneurial brands popping up in unconventional outlets
