$12m for Orangina''s debut

Carlsrom Beverages, which recently acquired the licence to bottle the Orangina soft drink on the Romanian market, has announced total investments in the brand of 12 million dollars (9.2 million euros). This includes both the new bottling line and the promotion campaign for the brand.

Orangina is an international brand and is held by the Cadbury Group, the world”s third-leading soft drinks producer.

“We have opened a new niche on the soft drinks market in Romania for carbonated drinks on the super-premium segment,” said Paul Silva, development manager with Cadbury, the owner of the Orangina brand. Orangina costs 15% more than the market average.

Orangina is a low-carbonated orange drink. According to the information given by Cadbury”s representatives, Orangina is the market leader among carbonated orange drinks on the French market.

Cadbury only owns several Orangina facilities in France, while in other countries the drink is made by bottlers under licence. Its distributor in Romania is Carlsrom Beverages, a member of the United Romanian Breweries Bereprod group (URBB), which also bottles Tuborg, Guinness, Skol and Carlsberg.

The brand has already been launched on the market in 0.25l bottles and 0.5l and 2l PET packaging. It is available both through retail and hotel-restaurant-catering channels. “If the product is received on the market as intended, then we will consider launching a sugar-free version and other flavours, as well,” added Silva.

“Our goal is to attain a 2% share of the Romanian market for carbonated drinks by the year”s end, meaning some 10 million hectolitres a year,” said Irit Mazor, development vice-president with URBB.

The net investment in promotion of the company is worth some 2 million dollars (1.6 million euros). “We have already started the BTL campaign and are now choosing an advert, which will be made locally,” Silva explained.

georgiana.stavarache@zf.ro