Based on this, the company has developed four different functional drinks so far focusing on Mood (containing damiana), Clarity and Focus (nootropics), Recovery (liver and kidney cleansing herbs) and Workout (tea extract). green for caffeine).
“All of our products use berries and herbs that are hand picked and wild – none of these ingredients are farmed – which makes them very premium and exclusive, and we use different combinations of herbs, berries and vitamins to bring out the best functionality in each drink,”Doctor V Head of Marketing Richard Hugo Lark said FoodNavigator-Asia.
“Energy drinks in particular are really a huge and thriving market with a lot of very dedicated and brand-loyal consumers, but we’re certainly seeing functional drinks becoming extremely popular and having a strong trend in this region now, especially for things like mood and nootropics and hangover drinks, and these are all areas we know we need to be involved in.
“In fact, most functional drinks contain an energy component, and that’s kind of how innovation can work – for Mood it’s about energizing the mood, for nootropics it’s energizing the brain , for Workout, it energizes the body, etc. so we know it can work.
Lark has also observed that many consumers in APAC are moving away from traditional energy drinks due to a growing awareness of the unhealthy components they contain, enabling the growth of new functional energy drinks.
“There is a guilt buying trend when it comes to the energy drink market, where many consumers are now looking for healthier options due to feelings of guilt for having relied on unhealthy products for their supplementation. energy for so long”,he said.
“So before that it was always high in sugar, high in caffeine, but with the health trend that’s coming now, the preference is for sugar-free products – having said that, there are many brands that eliminate sugar but add lots of sweeteners or remove caffeine and add synthetic herbs, which we don’t want to do, so we’ve ensured that the products are 100% natural and contain no preservatives or chemical colorants.
Main target markets
Currently, Doctor V has a nationwide presence in Australia and a premium presence in Shanghai, China, and is also gearing up to launch in Vietnam next month.
“In Australia we have a presence in several supermarkets, health food stores, convenience stores, health stores, gyms and more; whereas in China it is more of a high-end presence in high-end supermarkets, golf courses, nightclubs, etc. »,said Alouette.
“We are currently focusing on Asia first, and we are also looking at the Middle East, where we have already seen interest from markets such as Saudi Arabia. Previously we had problems with the Middle East due to 100% taxation of energy drinks, but now we are focusing more on functional drinks, this will be less of an issue.
New innovative products
In the future, the company is also looking to expand its range with a vitamin drink to boost immunity, as well as items focused on collagen and children.
“The collagen product uses marine collagen, while the children’s product is a natural Popper which is basically a juice,”he said.
“The juice will be made from all natural berries also taken from the Siberian wild such as blueberries, bilberries and cranberries, and the focus will be on providing children with a 100% natural drink option. “
Doctor V will present its range of functional drinks and its range of drinks for children at the Asian Specialties and Delicatessen (SFFA) from June 22-25 at the Suntec City Convention Centre, Singapore.