Coca-Cola, Nestle JV launches bottled ice tea Nestea

Coca-Cola along with its joint venture partner Nestle, that owns the ice tea brand Nestea, today launched the bottled ice-tea and is all set to strengthen its products portfolio in the country with a national roll-out early next year, a top company official said.

The joint venture company christened Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW), has launched the ready-to-drink lemon ice tea and is
likely to introduce more flavours such as peach, mango, orange, lime, pear and honey in the near future.

"We always look at offering a beverage keeping in mind the occasion and lifestyle. Nestea has been positioned more as a lifestyle, refreshing, youthful and trendy drink. We are first rolling it out in Mumbai and will go for a pan-India launch next year," Coca-Cola India's Vice-President (Marketing), Ricardo Fort, told reporters at the launch of the ready-to-drink
Nestea.

Nestea is already present in the country as an instant mix in two flavors - lemon and peach. However, it is a different product being marketed by Nestle India alone.

Globally, Nestle along with Coca-Cola makes a variety of tea-based drinks in regular and diet forms, including liquid and powdered tea concentrates, refrigeratable teas, and ready-to-drink bottles dispensed by vendors or vending machines in several flavors, depending on the country.

Asked whether the product launch assumed significance following Tata Global Beverage's recent joint venture with Coca-Cola's rival PepsiCo, Fort said: "The positioning of the products of both the JV companies are very different."