Stream Drinks won first place at this year's Food Review/Symrise New Product Competition, with Chele Lite and Woolworths close runners-up. Bos Ice Tea scooped the coveted Editor's Choice Award.
This year's Food Review/Symrise New Product Competition (NPC) Awards Dinner was all about change: one of life's only constants. Rudy McLean, MD of Symrise, the sponsor of the NPC, also drew our attention to daunting changes such as the recession. However he believes, 'We face tough times ahead in this country but tough times offer up a lot of opportunity. Out of chaos comes great inspiration, and innovation in these downward times is a strategic plan for your business.'
The invited speaker Neil Higgs, senior advisor and head of innovation at TNS, a global market research company, reiterated these sentiments and offered up some marketing advice. Fundamental human needs have not changed since the stone age, he says. 'The how might have, but not the why. Human minds work in a very primitive way. In terms of communication, we are influenced by things we are not consciously aware of. You need to understand the context of your people. Advertising has got to appeal to their emotional side.'
'Innovation really is one of the most important things in any business,' says Greg Hughes, CEO of Infixion Media. Congratulations to the R&D teams that worked on the products entered into the NPC 2011! 'Keep innovating and don't be afraid!' Hughes says.
NPC 2011 winners Stream Drinks keep swimming up-stream
Stream Drinks are an innovative and totally exciting new concept of deliciously flavoured functional drinks.
The concept is simple really: Stream Drinks believe a holistic approach to eating and drinking is the only way of living and so with its new range of functional beverages they’re not promising to cure you of your ill health, but rather add to an already positive and healthy lifestyle, by providing a product filled with a lot of integrity and no added sugar or preservatives!
The five masterminds behind this very simple concept brainstormed for two years to develop this healthy, low-calorie, sugar-free and preservative-free, all natural functional drink.
But, not only do these drinks taste really fresh and delicious, they are bottled in one of the most innovative new bottles I’ve ever seen on the market. Especially designed for Stream Drinks, the bottles are an awesome new shape and the most amazing thing is the unique cap which actually contains all the important functional ingredients
A Stream Drink really looks like just water and that’s because it is. Inside every bottle of a Stream Drink is Cape spring water. It’s the cap that’s really what sets Stream Drinks apart.
Inside these tightly concealed, air, moisture and light proofed caps are all the important functional ingredients making each one of these drinks unique. Such as the tropical flavoured, Guarana and Ginseng enhanced XStream or, for the ladies, a pomegranate pink, age- defying and cellulite-reducing McStreamy which contains Co-enzyme Q10 and Resveratol.
'We really did not expect to win,' says Ryan Dix-Peek, one of the five creators of the product, 'It makes me realise why we're doing what we’re doing!' Having won numerous awards abroad, the team couldn't be more stoked about this home-win. 'This is real, it's personal,' concludes team member Bryan Cooke. The lucky winners will be jetting off SIAL, in Paris, next year October!
Second runner up: Chele Lite mixers
The new Chelé lite range relaunched in January this year. Ross Hobbs, Chill Beverages marketing manager, was at the launch of Chelé Lite mixers in 2005, ‘but it just didn’t get traction,’ he says, ‘so the project became cost-inefficient and we canned them.’ Subsequently Schwepps introduced its light version of tonic water and this only lasted a year.
With the health trend building momentum, Chill Beverages reviewed the idea of lite mixers and, ‘in the last year, it was rationalised and we had five years of market research to back it,’ Hobbs explains.’ We then saw there was a gap in the market – providing a mixer for consumers who are intolerant of sugar, such as diabetics. After all, they wouldn’t mind a cold Gin and tonic every now and then too.’ Chelé Lite mixers are SA’s first sugar-free range of mixers, endorsed by the Diabetes Association and meeting the criteria of the Glycaemic Index Foundation of SA (GIFSA).
On the win Hobbs says, 'The NPC is such great recognition and we were up against some amazing products. We can’t wait to enter next year!’
Third runner up: Woolworth’s Functional Snack Bars
The Woolworth’s R&D team worked on the Woolworths Functional Snack Bars formulation for 18 months before launched, last year November. The functional food trend is just taking off in SA and this is why Woolworth’s Functional Snack Bars are more than just an afternoon snack. The Woolworth’s R&D team worked closely with Cargill Flavours, DSM, CJ Petrow, Orley Foods and Michaels & Michaels in the development of this product. Margo van der Merwe, Woolworth’s product developer, was at the awards dinner to receive the award. She says, ‘These snack bars have amazing functional qualities and I believe there is no comparison to these bars currently on the market. Taking the lead from international functional snacking, these bars would position Woolworths as the trend setter of first to market in this arena, the mainstream food retail market.’
I drink BOS Ice Tea: the Editor’s Choice Award
The reason this brand won the Editor’s Choice Award, well because it’s in my fridge and I drink BOS Ice tea. The organic rooibos tea is grown and harvested on Kliopmekaar, Richard Bowsher the chairman and co-founder of BOS Brands, farm. It is then combined with natural fruit flavours and ancient medicinal ingredients, turning it a refreshing delight. But it’s not just the taste that makes this ice-tea great it is BOS Brands entire marketing approach.
The funky and colourful packaging, designed with symbols from African mythology, the lion and Sirius, brightest star in the night sky, are set against a backdrop of bold colours reflecting the flavours and functionality of the range. The word ‘bos’ captures the energy and irreverence of SA. ‘It’s a little quirky, a little crazy and a little left off centre,’ says Bowsher. BOS is an experience and a way of looking at life. ‘I’d much rather be the people’s choice any day,’ says Bowsher on receiving the award.
Symrise, NPC sponsors
Special thanks to the NPC sponsors, Symrise, making it possible to celebrate innovation in SA, in style at the beautiful Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town! This fragrance and flavour house knows what it takes to create something that's new and outstanding and recognises the changing landscape of the food industry globally and in SA. It's not an easy job pleasing the discerning population of today, creating a product that's functional, of the best quality yet affordable, whilst sticking to all the rules.
To find out more about next year’s New Product Competition visit www.foodreview.co.za
