Canned drinks known as chuhai have been popular in Japan for sometime
Today’s post is by Gayl Southard, Administrative Consultant at SafeSourcing.
Coca-Cola took its first fly at a lemon-flavored alcoholic drink that went to market in Fukuoka, Japan at the end of May 2018. Canned drinks known as chuhai have been popular in Japan for sometime. Often they are made with distilled grain-based alcohol, known as shochu, along with carbonated water and fruit juice. This new lemon-flavored alcoholic beverage is called Lemon-Do. The beverage is sold in 3%, 5%, and 7% alcohol, including a salty lemon version and another flavored with honey and lemon; however, it contains no Coke! Currently, Coca-Cola is a big competitor of non-alcoholic drinks in Japan. To date, Suntory Holdings, Ltd., Kirin Holdings Co. and Asashi Group Holdings products dominate the convenience-store and supermarket shelves.
With a population of 13 million, the southern island of Kyushu will allow Coca-Cola to see how this test market of Japanese-style booze will be received and, hopefully, give it insight into how to apply their knowledge in other countries. “Despite falling demand overall for alcoholic drinks in Japan owing to the country’s shrinking population, demand for canned booze has been growing, in part because it is taxed less than beer and is cheaper.” The product is well received by both men and women. Coca-Cola wants to appeal to women with a low-alcoholic product.
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Suryatapa Bhattacharya, WSJ, 5/29/2018
