In 2016, coconut and other plant waters was the fastest growing beverage product category globally with a remarkable 20% value growth. The success of this new category can be linked to an increased consumer demand for healthy and functional hydration solutions. While coconut water dominates the market of packaged plant and root waters, the peripheries of this category have seen a wide range of new product introductions and sophisticated experimentation with tastes and consumer preferences.
In the context of generally healthier consumer attitudes, the sales of 100% fruit juice, bottled water and herbal drinks are strongly increasing, at the expense of added sugar juice drinks.bA case in point for this trend is the new Huanlejia PET packaged coconut milk, a plant-based alternative to dairy drinks, sold across the Chinese market. Previously, the Chinese food and beverage manufacturer with production sites in the Guangdong, Hubei and Shandong provinces, employing over 4,000 workers with an annual turnover of over 3 billion RMB, was packaging its large product portfolio in cans, HDPE and glass. This is the first time that Huanlejia moved to PET bottles for the promotion of its coconut milk, formerly packaged in HDPE. With its full marketing sleeve label to value the brand and the product, the Huanlejia coconut milk bottled in PET has been praised by local consumers, including a star product award by the 2018 Chengdu Food and Drinks Fair, which is assigned on a yearly basis.
Successful shift from HDPE to aseptic PET packaging
Two years ago, Huanlejia decided to launch its coconut milk in PET bottles due to the many advantages offered by the packaging material itself as well as the industrial packaging line. PET is strong, unbreakable, light, transparent, safe, and above all 100% recyclable. The PET bottle ensures the coconut milk 12-month shelf life without any sterilised aluminium foil before capping because the tightness between the bottle neck and the cap is very safe. As such, PET bottles typically deliver a greater brand image and enhance the overall customer experience; all of that by leveraging packaging production equipment, able to generate a higher output rate and lower production costs by reducing the energy and raw material costs. With these benefits in mind, they were looking for a reliable partner that could offer complete aseptic PET lines.
