The drinks, available in strawberry and apple flavors, contain alginate balls filled with juice that burst in the mouth when chewed.
Teenage consumers
The beverages have been developed for teenage consumers with the taste sensation created as an added value product to make the drinks fun and they come with 6mm wide straws to drink the product from the packs.
Eric Ding, head of marketing Asia Pacific North, SIG Combibloc, told DairyReporter UHT yogurt drinks with filled alginate balls are an innovation in the beverage and dairy industry and took nearly two years to develop.
He said the local market is invigorated by new product developments that offer added value for consumers – for example, with new taste experiences.
“The combination of yogurt and fruit in the form of small balls fits ideally with the joy of experimentation and curiosity typical of teenagers,” he said.
Yili has used drinksplus aseptic carton packs from SIG Combibloc before for its UHT beverages.
10% solid pieces
It can fill products containing up to 10% solid pieces, such as nata de coco and alginate balls, using standard beverage filling machines from SIG Combibloc, consisting of valves, valve stems and filling nozzles.
The design on the packs has the young teenager in mind with bright, jazzy colors to stand out on retail shelves.
The market launch is accompanied by a marketing campaign on TV, magazines, and online social media channels using actor and singer Jay Chou, who is known in Asia for his R&B and rap songs.
A spokesman for SIG Combibloc added including Chou in the advertising campaign will appeal to the buying instincts of younger consumers.