Pepsi upgrades Roua Muntilor mineral water to take on Danone and Nestlé

Pepsi Americas Romania, bottler of Pepsi on the Romanian market, is counting on the premium mineral water segment, after it invested 10 million dollars last year in a new bottling line at the plant in Covasna county. This enabled the launch on the market of glass bottled mineral water Roua Muntilor, meant exclusively for distribution on the on-premise market. Recently, the producer has launched a repositioning campaign for the only water brand in its portfolio. In 2008, the on-premise segment accounted for over 50% of Pepsi Americas Romania’s mineral water sales, according to company data, although the company did not specify the value of sales or the volumes bottled. “The investment in the Roua Muntilor brand is significant, starting with the 10 million dollars invested in the new production line in Covasna, and then considering the effort and resources of the sales division, as well as the marketing activities dedicated to supporting the brand (…),” said Lucian Gavril, Roua Muntilor brand manager within Pepsi Americas Romania. Roua Muntilor, the only Romanian brand of Pepsi Americas is now competing with international brands Evian (Danone), Vittel and San Pellegrino (Nestlé), which in Romania have non-significant market shares in retail, but strong positions on the on-premise segment.