Coffee for the shape-conscious

"We also expect to double the size of this segment within a year from the present value of more than Bt600 million," Prasopsuk Suttapirom, director of the coffee and beverage business, said yesterday.

Coffee for health-conscious consumers is a new segment that has increased dramatically in the past few years at roughly 50 per cent annually.

Market growth this year is expected to exceed 50 per cent after Nescafe Protect Proslim, a coffee-mix powder, enters the market already occupied by Nature's Gift and Fitne.

In the first half of the year, the market for three-in-one coffee grew 10 per cent, while Nescafe's sales in that segment rose 30 per cent.

Instant coffee in the same period increased at a single-digit rate, he said.

"Coffee for the health-conscious is a segment of interest for Nescafe, because market growth is higher than for the three-in-one and instant segments.

"We'll focus on creating new products in this category, such as ready-to-drink coffee, in line with Nestle's global policy of concentrating on nutritious products," he said.

Nescafe Protect Proslim has been well received since its |introduction two weeks ago, racking up nearly Bt100 million in sales.

Nestle has allocated Bt200 million to introduce and promote Nescafe Protect Proslim this year, mainly through marketing activities at the point of purchase and a television commercial.

It has placed a greater emphasis on educating people about the product than distributing samples.