Brand New: Ricola, PepsiCo, Lee Kum Kee and more big brand names feature in our round-up

Herbaceous delights: Ricola riding sugar-free candy popularity wave in APAC to draw health conscious consumers​

Candy specialist Ricola is benefitting from the growing popularity of sugar-free candies in APAC after ‘quietly’ undergoing a significant reformulation process and despite not shouting about it from the rooftops.

With some 70 to 80 different individual products across various formats and spanning about 50 flavours, Ricola has long been a mainstay in supermarket confectionery aisles all over the world, banking on its herbaceous focus.

Positive tidings: PepsiCo’s first APAC accelerator programme seeks innovative solutions to boost value chain sustainability​

PepsiCo has launched the first edition of its Greenhouse Accelerator programme in the Asia Pacific region, seeking inventive solutions focused on sustainable packaging and climate change reduction.

The firm’s Greenhouse programme is not new from a global context, first launched in Europe in 2017, then to the United States, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) – making it now in its seventh year, when it has finally made its way to the APAC region.

Sauce of growth: Lee Kum Kee craves bigger presence in SEA, India and Middle East​

Long-established sauces brand Lee Kum Kee says it is keeping up with the times through flavour localisation, and staying attuned to global trends by introducing heathier options and convenience sauces.

Claimed to be the inventor of oyster sauce more than a century ago, Hong Kong-based Lee Kum Kee today houses over 300 items under its portfolio of Asian condiments. 

Leveraging luxury: Diageo sees rising demand for premiumisation as key APAC alcohol market growth driver​

Alcohol heavyweight Diageo believes that the rising demand for premiumisation in APAC, and in particular economic growth in China, is placing the category in a strong position.

Diageo is the owner of many renowned alcoholic brands such as Johnnie Walker whiskey, Tanqueray gin and Guinness beer worldwide, and with its global outlook has now zeroed in on the Asia Pacific market as a key one for growth opportunities.

Plant-based trends not slowing down: Danone ANZ develops dairy and plant milk blend for infants and toddlers​

Danone has launched a dairy and plant milk powder blend designed for infants and toddlers in Australia and New Zealand – the first of its kind that the firm has introduced in Asia Pacific.

The product, sold under the Aptamil brand, is available as a stage 1 formula for infants zero to six months old, a stage 2 follow-on formula, and as a nutritional supplement for toddlers 12 months old and above.