Juice producer Doi Kham expands portfolio with ice lollies
In collaboration with Tetra Pak, Thai juice producer Doi Kham uses an innovative package to enter the booming ice cream market of Thailand.
Ice lolly expands portfolio for juice producer
As a juice producer, how do you normally expand your product range? Two common ways are adding new flavours and more packaging sizes to your current range. However, the Thai juice manufacturer Doi Kham Food Products Company, Limited took a slightly different and more innovative approach when they teamed up with Tetra Pak, the world-leading processing and packaging company.
Doi Kham is a leading tomato juice producer with a wide range of products, including premium and exotic fruit juices with flavours such as passion fruit, mango, lychee, strawberry and guava.“Doi Kham’s main mission is to buy local produce and create high-quality and healthy products,” says Pipatpong Israsena Na Ayudhya, President and CEO of Doi Kham.
The company buys produce from farmers in the hilly northern region of the country. The objective is to support the development of Thai agricultural produce and to create juices which have a high nutritional value with no chemical additives. Their products do not contain preservatives or artificial flavours. “To purchase more products from farmers and serve consumer needs, this year we are committed to offering new innovative products,” he says.
Thinking outside the box
However, sales in the fruit juice category are declining in Thailand, partly due to consumers’ fear of too much sugar in the products. Also, Doi Kham wishes to reach a new generation of consumers, including teenagers, students and young professionals aged 15-25 years.
Together with long-time partner Tetra Pak, Doi Kham started to think outside the box to come up with new product ideas. With its wide range of packaging solutions, Tetra Pak had an appealing package that could catapult Doi Kham into a whole new category – ice cream. The new family of products is called Doi Kham Ice Pop. It contains natural juice and comes in three flavours: Chinese apricot mixed with honey and lime, strawberry, and mango with passion fruit. These flavours are perfect for the summer season and represent a freshness that could appeal to the target group.
The Tetra Fino® Aseptic 100 Ultra MiM is the packaging innovation that allows the juice drinks to be produced and distributed in small carton packages at room temperature. Subsequently, they can be turned into frozen products in shops or at home.
“With the launch of Ice Pop, we are introducing a new style of natural juice ice lolly that comes in unique packaging, allowing for distribution at room temperature,” says Pipatpong Israsena Na Ayudhya.
This means that Doi Kham can tap into the growing ice cream market in Thailand with minimum investment in production equipment. Also, they don’t need to set up a chilled chain for distributing the products. According to Global Data, the Thai ice cream market size was valued at THB18.8 billion (503 million euros) in 2021. The market is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of more than five percent during 2021-2026.
Award winner
This innovative package has been internationally acknowledged. In 2019, the Tetra Fino Aseptic 100 Ultra MiM won the prestigious World Star Award in the category of Beverage (Packaging that Saves Food). “Doi Kham is a pioneer as it is the first and only juice brand in Thailand that utilises Tetra Fino Aseptic production innovation and packaging, a world-standard aseptic solution by Tetra Pak", says Ratanasiri Tilokskulchai, Managing Director, Tetra Pak Thailand Limited. “This solution can maintain the product’s quality without using preservatives and without freezing for transportation and storage,” she says.
With a long shelf life and thanks to the aseptic technology, the ice lollies can reach a broader geographic market. They can be sold frozen or ambient without refrigerated transportation and storage. That is a big plus in an oblong country such as Thailand, where temperatures can reach 40°C.
The package protects against light and oxygen, keeping the food inside safe and tasty – also after a long trip home on a hot day. The Tetra Fino Aseptic 100 Ultra MiM package can be produced on the Tetra Pak® A1 filling machine platform.
Appealing to Gen Z consumers
Ice Pop is a consumer-friendly concept. Just freeze, peel and pop! The ice lolly is perfect for a young consumer segment and is positioned as an in-home refreshing snack. The small and handy package is easy to hold and eat from with minimum spilling, and the hygienic and robust tear-off tab is simple to open.
Doi Kham Ice Pop was launched in March 2023 in Thailand with the help of nationally famous Thai teenage celebrities. The marketing goal is to sell three million units in 2023. Doi Kham has a chain of retail shops nationwide, where the new Ice Pops are sold. The products are also available at key supermarkets throughout the country, including 7-Eleven, the leading convenience retail chain.
Short facts about Doi Kham
Doi Kham is a leading producer in Thailand of tomato juice, tomato ketchup, tomato spread, dehydrated cherry tomato and tomato paste. It also has a wide range of other products including premium fruit juice (passion fruit juice, mango juice, lychee juice, strawberry juice, guava juice), dehydrated fruits, spread, honey and more than 200 other items.
Doi Kham was founded in 1994 and has processing plants in the Chiang Mai province, the Chiang Rai province and the Sakon Nakhon province.
The meaning of “Doi Kham” comes from two northern Thai words. The word doi means mountain or hill, while the word kham is a shortened word for thongkham, which means gold.
Learn more about Doi Kham https://www.doikham.co.th/product-category/ice-snack/