10 Oct 2012 KWV debuts an upmarket brandy and cola RTD

As a strong heritage brand, KWV SA says it has decided to expand its offering within the RTD market with a premium brandy and cola that appeals to less traditional brandy drinkers.

“Brandy connoisseurs will remain connoisseurs,” comments Gareth Haarhoff, Innovations Director at KWV. “They have a mature palette and will stick to enjoying their brandy in the pure form. The new KWV3 and Cola drink appeals to the younger market that are confident, independent and aspirational and who will not compromise on quality.“

“Before launching the new product, KWV SA conducted market research where the feedback received from consumers was overwhelmingly positive”, says Haarhoff.

“The overall response was while KWV is a heritage brand; it is moving with the times and shows that it cares about its consumers. The heritage means it has credibility and consumers can trust the brand and the quality of its products.”

RTD offerings, according to the Nielsen Company and Euromonitor International, equates to ten percent of the total liquor market which is valued at R6.8 billion (250-million litres). With an increase of over 4% in 2011, it is the fastest-growing category by volume.

This latest expansion into the RTD market forms part of KWV’s plans to grow their market share in South Africa and capitalise on growth in the Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages (FAB) market, and follows innovations such as Ciao, a ready-to-serve cocktail in a box, jimmijagga, an RTD fusion wine spritzer.

KWV3 and Cola comes in a slender 330ml can, a new variation to the market and is best served out of the can to deliver the distinctive KWV brandy and cola taste.

“Compared to other brandy and cola brands, KWV3 & Cola is made with the premium three-year old, pot-distilled brandy and despite the better quality is still priced competitively to the others and has the same alcohol volume of 5.6%,” says Haarhoff.

KWV3 and Cola will be available nationally as of 6 September 2012.

The recommended selling price is R210 per case of 24 or R10 a can.