*IRI Marketplace data L12 Wks to 06.09.20 (filtered to Impulse Soft Drinks)
**GUTsy Captain Consumer Research n.90 EU consumers
***IRI Marketplace, data to 06.09.20 (filtered to Impulse Soft Drinks)
Europe’s largest Kombucha brand, The GUTsy Captain has launched a Zero sugar and Zero calorie range, aiming to reach a growing number of consumers who are looking for healthy drinks with low sugar levels.
We know our Kombucha range has already won over consumers for its taste – winning awards at the recent Aurora International Taste Challenge and the Great Taste Awards. In fact, 68% of consumers who tried Zero in a recent taste panel stated they would drink more Kombucha now that there is a zero-sugar option**, while over six in ten go on to say that the new Zero range tastes good to excellent and say they will buy it**. This has given us real confidence that our brand is the best tasting Kombucha on the market
Inês Freitas
The Zero range includes six flavours – Original, Ginger & Lemon, Pomegranate, Watermelon & Mint, Passionfruit and Raspberry – which is the fastest selling Kombucha SKU in supermarkets according to the latest data*. The range offers three different pack formats to suit all consumption occasions which include a 250ml can, 400ml and 1L PET bottles and 300ml glass bottles, available across grocery multiples and health and convenience retailers, including Holland & Barrett.
By creating an ambient drink that maintains healthy benefits and making it accessible to even more consumers by lowering the sugar and calories, a trend that has been rising for the past number of years as consumers become more health conscious – the new Zero range is a strong and relevant innovation and answers a key need established by consumers.
Our challenge was to broaden the appeal of the category with innovative NPD, to continue to make GUTsy Captain appeal to more consumers and ensure that they reach for Kombucha intuitively.
Inês Freitas
Whilst appealing to consumers who want to consume a lower level of calories and sugar, the new Zero range remains 100% Kombucha and, whilst it has a longer fermentation period in order to leave no sugar at the end, it is created in the same traditional and authentic way as the existing core range, using a SCOBY – a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, which produces the taste that consumers have come to love about The GUTsy Captain drinks.
No and low sugar levels are key drivers for consumption of healthy beverages. Concerns over sugar and increased awareness around the negative impacts of sugar means that Kombucha is already a popular choice for young shoppers and the health-aware.
Inês Freitas
One of only two impulse soft drinks sub-categories in growth during 2020, Kombucha is now estimated to be worth £7.4m in the UK in the L.52Wks, with growth rate of 75% YOY***.
“Kombucha has been one of the runaway successes in the soft drinks category in recent years, as shoppers who are focused on health and wellbeing reach for the functional benefits.
Inês Freitas