Giant Japanese Beverage Co. to Enter Vietnam

A giant Japanese beverages company, Calpis Co. Ltd., plans to open its representative office in Vietnam in September as its first step to enter the huge market with an expected revenue of JPY1 billion (US$8.74 million) by 2010.

 

Once entering the Southeast Asian country, the company will launch its first trial sales of canned coffee drink, one of its best-selling products, in the market.

 

The Birthday-labeled coffee drink, made from high-quality Robusta beans and plenty of milk, will sell at price of only VND6,500 (40.8 US cents) per can. It's naturally caffeinated from coffee beans, which helps invigorate drinkers.

 

The company is currently working out a schedule to introduce its Calpis Water drink, a kind of milk-based and non-carbonated soft drink with sweet and tangy taste, to the Vietnamese consumers in the coming time.

 

It also plans to install a production line in Vietnam in the near future as the country is rich for its input materials such as coffee. Details of the factory, however, have not yet been made available at the moment.

 

Calpis Co., Ltd. was established in Japan in 1917. It produces and processes milk based beverages including "Calpis" concentrated lactic acid drinks which are marketed worldwide as "Calpico". The company is estimated to record revenue of JPY122.5 billion (US$1.07 billion) per annum.