“We are trying as much as possible to give consumers a variety based on what we hear every day from researchers, from sitting with them, observing what they are doing and their shopping behaviors,” he said.
The Nairobi-based Coca-Cola Central East and West Africa Ltd has been grappling with a global trend that has seen customers shifting into more health conscious consumption of sugar reduced drinks.
“You can expect a lot of new products coming from Coke because consumers are asking for more. The world has changed and there must be a customization.The trend where everybody is going to conform and drink the same thing is gone,” said Ahmed.This marks its commitment into diversifying its production lines with the most recent introduction of tea- and coffee-flavored drinks, sports drinks and smoothies.
“Kenya and entire Africa is in the growth phase. We have seen growth in the buying capacity of the middle class grow, and with this growth customers begin to ask for diverse range of products, which from a Coca-Cola perspective is our area of strength,” said the company earlier.
The multinational in May last year opened a US$ 68.81million juice processing plant in Nairobi with a production capacity of 28,000 bottles per hour using a hot-fill technology in line with an aim to to become a full beverage company.The manufacturer of soda, such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, Krest and Sprite, water (Dasani & Keringet) and juices (Minute Maid) has continued to invest greatly in consumer health conscious products.
