#OnShelf: Let’s drink to that

by Louise Burgers. The drinks market is one of the most active right now, from soft drinks to alcohol brand launches and promotions to recover lockdown losses, and this week, Red Bull showcases its new flavour; Flowstone Gin celebrates more awards; and Aquasky launches its own retail brand of water.

Red Bull brings back Watermelon

Due to the popularity of the Red Bull Summer Edition Watermelon, Red Bull has announced that it will return as a permanent offering, now known as The Red Bull Red Edition Watermelon. The Watermelon flavour, will replace former Red Bull Red Edition Cranberry, and is described as having “an initial bright profile which then blooms into a refreshing watermelon finish”. The Red Bull Red Edition Watermelon is available at retailers nationwide as single serve 250ml can. Red Bull Energy Drink is available in over 170 countries worldwide and more than 7.5 billion cans of Red Bull were consumed last year. A 250 ml can of Red Bull Energy Drink contains 80 mg of caffeine, about the same as in a home brewed cup of coffee. Despite consuming copious amounts of Red Bull in my younger days at raves in the 90s, I still think it tastes like cough medicine. Although it has quite a kick in champagne, which was my preferred way to drink it (a Bull Fizz), flavoured or not!

Flowstone Gin’s accolades

South Africa’s Flowstone Gin is now one of the highest awarded gin ranges in the country after three awards at the 2021 International Spirits Challenge. These coveted awards will take Flowstone’s award count up to 21 since its launch just four years ago. The 2021 International Spirits Challenge awarded a Sliver to Flowstone Bushwillow Gin; a Silver to Flowstone Snuffbox Gin; and a Bronze to Flowstone Wild Cucumber Gin. Now, with 21 accolades for the range, Flowstone Gin are on a mission to put premium African white spirits on the map. The range is available at Makro and Takealot and on their website. The labels are certainly gorgeous and at least these gin bottles don’t look like perfume bottles, like some of them do.

Aquasky launches new range

From a water-solutions brand to aid Day Zero efforts in Cape Town; to entering the FMCG market with its own Prost range of water brands, Aquasky is evolving, just like the water market. Aquasky extracts water from the clear blue sky and then bottles it. Seriously. They have fancy technology that does exactly this. The company does this by using atmospheric water generating machines that cool and condense the air to extract the moisture. “Water is evolving,” says Aquasky MD, Brendan Williamson, “it’s not just about simply having bottled water on the shelf. Everyone is looking to add value and make the experience of consuming water exciting. Whether its unique flavours or pairing certain types of regional flavoured waters with different dishes. Just as there’s wine sommeliers, we now have dedicated water sommeliers – sommeliers who study the flavours of water based on the region it is from and how to pair with food. The bar has been lifted. To ensure that our product is top notch we must continuously improve. Therefore, Aquasky will be introducing the Prost range of products to ensure we are always at the forefront of the trends.”

Main image credit: Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool.

Louise Burgers is the Publisher and Editor and Co-Founder of RetailingAfrica.com. She has spent over 20 years writing about the FMCG retailing, marketing, media and advertising industry in South Africa and on the African continent. She has specialised in local and Africa consumer trends and is a passionate Afro-optimist who believes it is Africa’s time to rise again and that the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will be a global gamechanger in the next decade.

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