Wodka in a Tube Coming Soon

An alcoholic mixer with distinctly different packaging may soon arrive on the shelves in Thailand. Austrian-based Go Co, owner and distributor of the Go Wodka product, is displaying the mixer at THAIFEX 2005, a World Food Asia exhibition, at Muang Thong Thani near Bangkok. Departing from the traditional packaging of cans or bottles for alcoholic drinks, Wenger Co, Go's parent company, which launched the product in 2003, opted for a tube design to bring something new to the burgeoning mixer market. Andreas Vollmost, international sales consultant for Go Co, said that the idea to use the well-known metal tubes usually used for mustard and mayonnaise came from the desire to launch something unique in the market. Go Wodka comes in a variety of flavours including lemon, cranberry, energy and strawberry, all of which contain about 4 to 12 per cent alcohol. Vollmost said the company is now looking for a supplier in Thailand in order to launch their product within a few months. "There are many supplier companies that are interested in Go Wodka thanks to its attractive design. And if the negotiations succeed, Thailand will be the second country in Asia, after Hong Kong, to sell alcoholic mixers in tube form," said Vollmost. In Europe, the alcoholic mixer is priced in a similar range to equivalent products on the market at around '1.50 (Bt70). 'Thailand is an interesting market as the beverage market here is wide open. If we do well in the country maybe we will even base a factory here with some new flavours suitable for Thai and Asian tastes, for example green tea in a tube," Vollmost added. As the company is targeting the younger generation, who are attracted by the innovative packaging, the company also produces non-alcoholic drinks in a tube with varieties including pure energy, cherry and grapefruit. "Drinking from a tube has many advantages," said Vollmost. "The tube is definitely eye-catching and will catch people's attention wherever you are, from a party to the beach, a bar or a nightclub.Teenagers like our products and people are curious, so drinkers will be attracted to them." "Another benefit of the tube is it is easily closed again if you do not finish it," said Vollmost. "It's conveniently portable as you can put it in your pocket wherever you go." The tube is made from aluminium like a can, but the tube format means you can squeeze it and it's unbreakable, unlike a glass bottle. For the past two years, Go Wodka has been doing well in the drinks market. According to AC Nielson's market share analysis in 2003, just one month after its launch Go Wodka ranked third among all alcoholic mixer drinks in Austria, with a market share of 14.8 per cent. Following two years of marketing, "Go Wodka" sales volumes have reached more than 10 million units in 10 markets, including Europe and Hong Kong. The company expects to achieve sales of 15 million tubes this year if it can access the Thai, Japanese and Chinese markets.