Magazine: Iced coffee, the most popular summer drink

The iced coffee market is characterised by strong seasonality. Boglárka Tóth, Nestlé Professional’s channel brand manager told our magazine that they offer a lemon Nestea and a Nescafé Frappé flavour in1kg powder format to those partners who operate cold drink vending machines. Despite the category’s seasonality products can stay on store shelves in the autumn-winter seasons, and in Tutti Kft.’s view this is a success in itself. Tutti iced coffee was launched in 2002 – it was the first such product available in Hungary – and it is available in 300g bag format. The real success story started five years ago when the company switched to10*18g single-portion packaging and sales really started to grow – informed commercial director Ferenc Németh. Sales were up 45 percent in 2015, in part thanks to winning three stars at the Superior Taste Award in Brussels. Katalin Péter, sales and marketing manager of Naszálytej Zrt., spoke to us about their 0.5-litre product’s resealable-cap, UHT packaging.

In the last few years market demand shifted towards the ‘automation’ of the iced coffee segment and equipment-wise Nestlé Professional can offer optimal solutions to partners. Vending machines can minimise the human labour element of making a cup of iced coffee and can guarantee standard quality. The Nestea and Nescafé brands are very strong in Nestlé Professional’s channels too. In the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto portfolio we find Ice Cappuccino, which can only be ordered from the online shop at www.dolce-gusto.hu (it isn’t available in physical stores) – told Krisztina Batta, brand manager of NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto. In the spring-summer months this product becomes the 5th-6th most popular in the online shop, while in the autumn and winter months sales rank among the lowest in the 25-capsule portfolio.

Tutti Kft. pays special attention to developing modern food products. The company’s experience is that there is no consumer demand for a wider selection of iced coffee flavours. Still, the company keeps on innovating and in addition to iced coffees, they focus on food products for people with special dietary needs. The main message of Tutti products is reliability and good quality, behind which there is modern production technology, being open to new solutions, a fair business conduct and diligence. Tutti Kft. also operates its own online shop. Naszálytej Zrt. entered the iced coffee category at the end of 2014, with a lactose-free product in the Magic Milk range. There is no other lactose-free iced coffee in the Hungarian market at the moment. Sales are balanced despite the category’s seasonality, because in the winter months they communicate the message that Magic Milk iced coffee can also be consumed hot – with lactose-free cream on top it is a real treat!. /