Taco Bell has introduced its first gelato creation in partnership with Mountain Dew. The Mtn Dew Baja Blast Gelato is currently being tested at a restaurant in Irvine, California, for a duration of two weeks, as announced in a press release.
“This is the first time we are releasing a gelato and we are so excited to hear how fans enjoy the sweet and creamy indulgence,” Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell, said in the release. “Baja Blast is iconic to Taco Bell and has its own strong fandom, so introducing it in gelato form feels right. As the end of summer nears, this is the perfect treat to wrap up any Taco Bell meal.”
The gelato costs $2.99 plus tax for a 3.6-ounce cup.
“Dew Nation’s passion for Baja Blast runs deep,” Scott Finlow, CMO of PepsiCo Global Foodservice, said in the release. “At PepsiCo, we love to create unexpected ways to thrill fans and are pumped to join forces with Taco Bell to turn the Mtn Dew Baja Blast flavor they love into a refreshing gelato. We’re confident Dew Nation is going to love the bold new spin we’ve put on this iconic flavor.”
In the midst of the ongoing Asia Cup men’s cricket tournament and the impending Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup, Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL) unveiled a cricket-themed beverage called Campa Cricket, as revealed by the company on Friday.
In an effort to diversify its beverage offerings, the prominent FMCG company intends to introduce its products in numerous states, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. Currently, RCPL’s beverage lineup proudly features selections from Campa, Raskik, and Sosyo Hajoori.
“Campa Cricket aims to forge a strong connection between brand Campa and one of India’s biggest passions, the game of cricket. While the drink is infused with electrolytes to replenish vital salts, it also provides fizzy lemony refreshment to cricket fans, whether they are cheering for their favourite cricketers or going about their day-to-day chores,” said a RCPL spokesperson.
Campa Cricket is a lemon-infused carbonated beverage enriched with electrolytes, purportedly designed to replenish and rejuvenate individuals both during and outside of sporting activities.
Crafted exclusively for cricket enthusiasts throughout the nation, this carbonated beverage will be accessible in various packaging options. These include a 250ml container priced at INR 20 and a 500ml container priced at INR 30.
“The introduction of Campa Cricket is a testimony to RCPL’s vision of offering a wide range of high-quality and innovative products to Indian consumers at compelling price points,” the company said in a release.
In April, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL), the FMCG division of Reliance Retail Ventures, forged a strategic alliance with Ceylon Beverages, a beverage canning and filling company promoted by former cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan. This partnership was established for the joint production and co-packaging of Campa soft drinks.
Reliance Retail acquired Campa in the middle of the previous year from the Pure Drinks group for an approximate sum of Rs 22 crore. Campa Cola, initially established by the Indian company Pure Drinks in the 1970s, gained significant popularity as an aerated beverage, famously associated with the tagline ‘The Great Indian Taste.’ However, the brand faced challenges with the entry of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo into the Indian market during the nation’s liberalization period, which led to its decline.
RCPL’s Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) lineup currently encompasses a variety of offerings, including the everyday essentials brand Independence, chocolates branded as Lotus, western snacks in collaboration with General Mills, confectionery products through Toffeeman, biscuits under the Maliban label, and a range of home and personal care brands like Glimmer and Dozo.
In its fourth endeavor in the realm of food delivery, the mobility giant Ola has partnered with the government-supported Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to offer food delivery services. While the company initiated a trial run of this service within its ride-hailing app back in August, it has now become accessible to a wider audience of users.
According to sources, the company has been conducting trials of the feature for more than a month within its app, initially limiting access to employees and a select group of users, using the name ‘Ola ONDC food’.
“This is big for Ola, this is likely to compete with Swiggy and others… This feature is not available for everyone, only a handful of users for now and is likely to be open for all, ” said an industry source aware of the development.
Efforts to contact Ola for a response were unsuccessful.
Its most recent endeavor took place in 2022, when it had intentions to merge its cloud kitchen enterprise with a 10-minute grocery delivery service.
The initial effort was made in July 2015, when the ride-hailing startup introduced a separate online grocery store in Bengaluru, and in the same year, in March, launched a food delivery app.
In under nine months, Ola decided to close down both Ola Store and Ola Foods without providing extensive explanations. Nevertheless, sources informed Moneycontrol that Ola has no plans to introduce a distinct delivery app.
“Collaborating with ONDC is a wise choice for Ola. They may noy roll out a separate app, ” The person quoted above said.
Reports also indicate that Bhavish Aggarwal, the CEO of Ola, mentioned during his address at the India Internet Day event on August 24 in Bengaluru, that the company was in the process of aligning itself with the government-supported network.
ONDC has been actively bringing mobility industry participants on board. Through its open mobility initiative, it is anticipated to enhance the customer experience by allowing them to book rides through their preferred apps and integrating diverse transportation options, such as metro, auto-rickshaws, and buses. Recently, Namma Yatri, a platform launched by Juspay Technologies in collaboration with Bengaluru drivers, joined this initiative.
Zomato has joined the growing trend of startups embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with the introduction of Zomato AI, aimed at enhancing convenience and personalization for its customers.
Zomato AI essentially serves as a chatbot or assistant designed to assist customers in recommending food dishes and restaurants. Zomato plans to introduce this feature gradually, initially offering it exclusively to Zomato Gold users.
“Transcending the boundaries of conventional chatbots, Zomato AI is an intelligent, intuitive foodie companion, designed to cater to users’ ever-changing preferences, dietary needs, and even their current moods,” the company said in a statement.
The multi-agent framework of Zomato AI offers a diverse range of prompts tailored for various tasks. As an example, when customers use Zomato AI, it will provide them with a widget displaying a comprehensive list of restaurants that serve their desired dish.
Furthermore, according to the statement, Zomato AI is capable of recommending a selection of popular dishes or restaurants in case a customer is uncertain about what to order.
Zomato AI enables customers to send multiple messages and provides nearly real-time responses.
“Proficient in handling complex queries, Zomato AI is designed to be users’ ultimate foodie friend… Zomato AI is a groundbreaking innovation that will allow customers to discover the right food at the right time and has the potential to redefine food ordering experiences,” the company added.
Following the surge in AI’s popularity, especially since the introduction of Open AI’s ChatGPT, several Indian startups have embraced AI to augment their services. Notably, Zomato’s competitor Swiggy and the online travel aggregator ixigo are among these innovative startups.
Zomato has also introduced a generative AI-powered product for its quick commerce platform, Blinkit.
Meanwhile, Zomato has been making a series of launches aimed at expanding the range of features available to its users. In June, it rolled out a multi-restaurant cart feature that empowers users to create multiple carts concurrently. Before this addition, users were restricted to adding items from only one restaurant at a time.
It also unveiled ‘Zomato Food Trends’ as a tool to assist restaurant partners in making data-informed decisions.
Amidst these developments, the startup also achieved its first profitable quarter in April-June. Zomato reported a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of INR 2 Cr in Q1 FY24, a significant turnaround from the net loss of INR 186 Cr in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year.
In Q1 FY24, the gross order value (GOV) of Zomato’s food delivery business reached INR 7,318 Cr, representing an increase from INR 6,425 Cr in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year.
Brik Oven, the Bengaluru-based pizza brand, is excited to announce the grand opening of its newest outlet in Bellandur.
Situated within RMZ Ecoworld, this marks the brand’s eighth establishment within the city. Commencing their venture in 2016, Brik Oven initially introduced Neapolitan-style pizzas to Bengaluru when they first unveiled their iconic Church Street outlet. Today, Brik Oven proudly maintains a strong presence throughout the city, boasting a total of eight outlets.
Talking about the new outlet, Anvesh Sreeram, Co-Founder of Brik Oven, said, “Spread over 1,700 sq ft, our new restaurant brings us closer to our vision of making Brik Oven bigger and better and bringing our delicious food closer to all our patrons across the city. Through the opening of this restaurant, we are looking at tapping into diverse audiences in different parts of the city and establishing a stronger presence for the brand.”
“Strategically located in Bellandur at RMZ Ecoworld, our new outlet allows us to approach a new and varied audience of expats and employees working at the global technology centres there. We want to make the Brik Oven experience accessible and available to everyone,” added Anirudh Nopany who is also one of the Co-Founders of Brik Oven.
Swiss luxury chocolate manufacturer Laderach, which recently opened its inaugural chocolate boutique at the prestigious DLF Emporio mall in New Delhi, is joining forces with its Indian partner, DS Group, to capitalize on the swiftly evolving luxury market and expand their presence in one of Asia’s most substantial economies.
Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of DS Group, announced the group’s commitment to establishing a dedicated cold chain infrastructure to support their luxury chocolate enterprise.
“We recognise evolving consumer preferences and believe that there is ample opportunity for growth. The luxury segment is growing so that’s a very big opportunity,” he said.
Laderach has made its entry into India through an exclusive partnership with DS Group, a company that also manages other high-end retail brands such as L’Opera and Les Petits.
Elias Laderach, executive board member and chief creative officer of Laderach, said, “We are very confident of the Indian market, the big cities and the consumers here.”
DS Group’s portfolio encompasses various sectors, encompassing packaged products featuring confectionery and spice brands like Catch and Pulse, as well as ventures in hospitality and luxury retail, among others.
Kumar stated that the Indian confectionery market is estimated at approximately INR 23,000 crore, with chocolates comprising the dominant category, commanding nearly 60% of the market share. He further noted that the per capita chocolate consumption in India stands at 140 grams, significantly below the global average of 900 grams, highlighting the substantial potential for growth in this sector.
Laderach has outlined its expansion strategy, which entails the establishment of five to seven stores in India within a two-year timeframe, in addition to distributing its products through the company’s dedicated e-commerce platform.
According to Bain & Co, the current value of the personal luxury goods market is approximately $3.5 billion, experiencing a growth rate of 18-20%. Meanwhile, in India, the entire luxury goods market is valued at around $16 billion and is expanding annually at a rate of 15-16%, as reported by Bain & Co.
Telpo, a prominent smart POS hardware provider headquartered in China, has collaborated with AliPay, the top-tier payment platform, and the renowned QSR chain, Burger King, to introduce an advanced self-ordering kiosk. This innovation aims to enhance and simplify the self-service ordering and payment experience for customers.
Presently, Telpo kiosks are extensively utilized in the Chinese branches of Burger King.
Customers have the option to independently place their orders and complete the checkout process, resulting in time savings and a more convenient, expedited ordering experience. Additionally, self-order kiosks offer customers an interactive and engaging ordering experience, adding to the overall enjoyment of the process.
Customers have the option to independently place their orders and complete the checkout process, resulting in time savings and a more convenient, expedited ordering experience. Additionally, self-order kiosks offer customers an interactive and engaging ordering experience, adding to the overall enjoyment of the process.
During periods of reduced customer traffic, self-order kiosks can showcase restaurant updates and advertisements on their screens.
Furthermore, the self-order kiosk K20 (formerly known as TPS781) incorporates a 3D structured light camera, achieving an impressive 99.9% accuracy in face recognition. To ensure utmost customer privacy, this kiosk is equipped with advanced living body recognition technology, effectively eliminating the possibility of fraudulent photos, videos, or deceptive actions.
Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, India’s foremost specialty coffee brand, announced the launch of their much-anticipated special coffee collection, the Producer Series, marking its fourth installment.
True to its name, the Producer Series pays homage to the innovative efforts of India’s visionary coffee producers, as they explore creative processing techniques to create unique coffee varieties.
These exceptional coffees are grown in limited quantities, undergo various experiments at the farm level, and are carefully roasted by Blue Tokai’s in-house experts to enhance their extraordinary fruity and floral qualities, all before they are delivered to customers’ hands.
Over the past decade, Blue Tokai has been engaged in extensive collaborations with over 70 coffee producers in India, with the aim of showcasing the country’s finest coffees to a worldwide audience.
The Producer Series acts as a platform that not only highlights these enduring partnerships but also symbolizes the growing fascination with coffee experimentation and the ever-expanding community of specialty coffee enthusiasts in India.
Similar to Blue Tokai’s other roasted coffee offerings, ‘Producer Series 2023’ will be available in a range of grind options, ensuring their compatibility with any preferred brewing method that consumers may choose.
Estimates from CLSA suggest that the number of monthly active users on food delivery platforms like Zomato and Swiggy is poised to increase by over two-fold by the fiscal year 2030.
According to a note from the brokerage dated August 31, despite adopting conservative estimates and limiting the target audience to households with a disposable income exceeding $10,000 (approximately INR 8.2 lakh), the number of users is expected to more than double.
“We believe profitability of the online food delivery industry has well and truly been established, and its current duopoly nature is likely to help sustain take-rates,” it said.
It noted the concerns around user growth, specifically the volatility in Zomato’s monthly transacting users over the past four quarters. “In our view, these concerns were largely due to a reduced presence in cities, some slowdown in discretionary demand and clear prioritisation of profitability over growth.”
CLSA stated that if online food delivery platforms maintain consistent penetration across income brackets and increase their market coverage from 85% to 90% of the target audience, this would result in an 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in user numbers over the next six years.
Further, a major tailwind for the sector in the second half of the current fiscal would be the Cricket World Cup set to be held in India. “It should aid demand for online food delivery, as seen in other developed nations during sporting events. We remain positive on the online food delivery space,” it said.
The brokerage has issued a ‘buy’ recommendation for Zomato Ltd., setting a target price of INR 99.6 per share, offering a minimal upside compared to its current market price.
PepsiCo, the prominent American company known for snacks and beverages, is preparing to resume snack manufacturing operations in Indonesia. This move comes two years after the company concluded a previous joint venture in the region.
PepsiCo has initiated the construction of a new production facility in the locality of Cikarang, situated in West Java. With a projected long-term investment of approximately $200 million, the company aims to foster the growth of the Indonesian market.
PepsiCo’s choice to re-enter the snack market in Indonesia was facilitated by investment incentives offered by the Indonesian government.
In early 2021, PepsiCo exited its snacks joint venture in Indonesia, selling its minority stake to local partner PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur. PepsiCo did not disclose the reason behind its decision to withdraw from the venture.
During their partnership, the collaboration yielded popular snack brands such as Lay’s, Cheetos, and Doritos for the domestic market. However, as per the conditions outlined in the sales agreement with their joint venture partner, PepsiCo and its affiliated entities committed to refraining from producing, packaging, selling, promoting, or distributing any rivaling snack food items in Indonesia for a duration of three years.
PepsiCo expects to commence snack production at the newly established facility by early 2025, marking the commencement of manufacturing activities a year after the agreed-upon period of inactivity.
The new facility established by the US company highlights a more comprehensive vision, emphasizing the importance of local talent, leveraging indigenous raw materials, and reinforcing the domestic value chain.
It added, “With its rapidly expanding economy, dynamic demographic profile and evolving consumer needs, Indonesia presents unparalleled opportunities, particularly in the F&B sector.
“Recognising this potential, the Indonesian government has shaped policies to cultivate a vibrant investment climate. Aligning with this favourable landscape, PepsiCo Indonesia has reaffirmed its long-term investment commitment to the country.”
PepsiCo has pledged to source most raw materials for its snacks, including corn and palm oil, from sustainable sources and to use renewable power sources.
Once ready, the new West Java manufacturing plant will span 60,000 sq m, dedicated to the production of snacks.
Asif Mobin, CEO of PepsiCo Indonesia, said, “In Indonesia, our expansion signifies more than growth – it represents our commitment to the country, its sustainability objectives, and the communities we serve.”
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