Cheaper, capsule drinks increase sales by 50%

B.Blend, a capsule beverage company of home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool and beverage producer Ambev, increased the sale of capsules and machines by 50% last year, up from a 30% projection for the period. For this year, the plan is to maintain the pace of growth with cheaper machines and expand the portfolio of alcoholic capsules. Born in 2015, the joint venture bets on the trend of drinking called "smart drink": the drink comes out at the right dose and temperature, without waste and need to buy all the ingredients separately. B.blend has a portfolio of 35 drinks, between hot, cold and fizzy, to be consumed in the same machine. Cristina Leonhardt, director of innovation and marketing at Tacta Food School, says the proposal meets a trend, especially urban, of more convenience. "The idea also meets two consumer desires: personalization and more experience," he says. "He doesn't just want the product. In the case of alcoholic beverages, you let him prepare something personalized at no cost, an experience close to that of a bartender." The capsules are similar to those of Nestlé's Nespresso coffee, but in a liquid state, not powdered. The value similar to that of cans. Today, a capsule costs between R$ 1.69 and R$ 8.99. Guaraná Antarctica, which yields 250 ml, for example, is found for R$ 1.89, while a 269 ml can is on average R$ 1.69. The biggest barrier of entry into Brazil today is the price of the machine. "We've been lowering the price year by year," says Eduardo Salles, the company's executive chairman, in an exclusive interview with Estadão/Broadcast. "This year we're going to be able to sell a little cheaper than last year, as we gain scale." At the beginning of the company, 5 years ago, the version with water purifier cost R$ 3,499, while the average price in 2019 was R$ 2,199, a 37.15% drop in value. Sales The sale of the capsules, which today takes place mainly in e-commerce and in a kiosk in Shopping Morumbi, has also been tested in supermarkets, but there is no definite strategy in relation to this. For this year, kiosks will be opened in Eldorado Mall and in another place to be defined. Another promise of B.blend for 2020 is to increase the portfolio of alcoholic beverages in capsule, which today has three flavors, launched at the end of the year: gin tonic, orange spritz and Skol Beats. "We had a high expectation that was exceeded: the demand was so great that the capsules ran out," says Salles. According to him, 70% of consumers who tried alcoholic beverages post-launch said they would buy again. Another category that should receive more attention from the company this year is the line of sugar reduction and zero drinks. In the current portfolio, the company has Guarana zero and Soda zero. Even with the growth of the product, the marketing effort made for coffee capsules has not yet been seen in other beverage capsules, according to the CEO of the consultancy specialized in the foodservice market GS&Libbra, Cristina Souza. "The product makes a lot of sense to the consumer, but it's lacking aggressiveness in the commercial approach," he says. A recent example is delivery applications. "If they weren't stimulating the consumer habit with so many promotions, they would grow, but very slowly."