Albertirsa is the new epicentre of soft drink production

T. M.: –Aquarius-Aqua Kft. started out as a family business in 1991. Since then the company has made great progress and today it is one of the key players in the alcohol-free soft drink and energy drink market of Eastern Europe. Could you tell us a little about the recent changes?

Bálint Jencs: Our most important strategic decision was starting to go in the direction of manufacturer brands. We have had QUEEN since 1986 and WATT since 2003, but strengthening these entails great changes in the market. Aquarius-Aqua will continue to manufacture private label products too, but we have set up a so-called VENTURE TEAM for the brand business line. Presently our branded products realise 20 percent of sales and we want to double this in 3 years. With our new brand strategy we can help our biggest partners in the further development of their private label portfolios.

T. M.: – Manufacturing private label products remains to be an important element in your operations then. How will you protect your branded products?

Bálint Jencs
marketing manager
Aquarius-Aqua

Bálint Jencs: It is important to stress that a branded product doesn’t become a brand just because it has trademark protection and there is a logo on the packaging. We continue to build our brands with great consciousness, differentiating them from private label products. They aren’t made from the same recipe, the bottles shape is different, both product types have their own packaging design, etc.

T. M.: – What new brands/products have been introduced?

Bálint Jencs: The most important change was the full renewal of the WATT energy drink product range: a new look and two new ZERO products, plus MEGAWATT with +25 percent caffeine content celebrated the brand’s 15th birthday. 2.5-litre QUEEN soft drinks also have a new look and two new cola products have been launched: Queen Cola Lemon and Queen Cola Zero Cherry. This summer will bring the debut of 1.5-litre QUEEN carbonated soft drinks with 1-percent fruit content. From Queen the biggest sensation will be 12-percent fruit content fruit drinks – this is a brand new product category for the brand. It will be available in Multivitamin, Orange and Apple-Sour Cherry versions first. (x)