In an interview with “Business Punk” business and trend magazine, marketing boss Tom Inden-Lohmar introduced our OeLemonade. He also explained why fiber is sexy, how to turn soda into a functional food – and why even fitness influencer Pamela Reif might be envious of our sugar balancing act. Read on to find out more!
Business Punk (Susie von den Stemmen): Smart drinking – sounds like a uni seminar! What does it really mean?
Tom Inden-Lohmar: Till now, the term has only been used internationally in association with drinking responsibly. At OeTTINGER BEVERAGES, it refers to our smart, innovative beverage concepts. It means that we make good beverages better by adding extra benefits. Water with protein and lemonade with fiber are just the beginning: there’s so much more to come!
Why does the world need a smart soda?
Basically, the world needs smarter drinks that are better, healthier and more practical. The market for soft drinks is huge – it’s predicted that 300 billion liters’ worth will be consumed by the end of 2025 – so developing a smart soda was a fantastic challenge that we were more than happy to take on!
Six grams of fiber in one can. That’s about two apples, just in cooler packaging?
Well, if it were that simple, there wouldn’t be a need for a supplement market. Nature always offers an alternative – but that doesn’t seem to work, so instead of “in cooler packaging”, we say it’s “easier to consume”.
But before, fiber was an older person’s thing. What’s happened?
Put it this way: If someone had predicted 10 years ago that a book all about gut health would become a number one bestseller sold in 40 countries and that the author would star in the Netflix “Hack your Health” documentary, you would have said they were crazy.
What made you use fiber in the first place?
We watch what’s going on and what’s working in the international beverages market very closely. And in the USA and the UK, probiotic sodas that are rich in fiber have been big news for several years now, so we thought it was high time for products like these that are “Made in Germany”.
Who should be drinking OeLemonade – and who’ll be giving it a miss?
Hopefully, anyone with a taste for a delicious, traditional lemonade that’s also good for their gut should soon be able to enjoy our OeLemonade. Who’ll be giving it a miss? Well, anyone drinking more than four cans a day needs to stop there: The fiber will have definitely done its job by that point! (Grins)
Agave syrup + Stevia – why this combination? Nutritionists advise against both…
Let’s make a comparison with cars. Some demonize cars with a petrol engine, while others say that a full-blown transition to e-mobility would come with its own set of problems. We see sugar and sweeteners the same way. That’s why we’ve gone for the optimum combination of agave syrup, Stevia and fruit juices. After all, our soda has to have the same mouthfeel and taste like lemonade.
How much smart drinking is actually smart – and how much of it is just marketing?
It’s not an either or thing: We make products better and we tell people about them – you could call it smart marketing for smart drinking.
Your biggest competitor is called SUPER POP. What makes popping open one of your cans the smarter choice?
The situation on the market changes week by week: our colleagues from MORE FIZI are on the market too now. Every brand follows a different concept: Some use apple cider vinegar as a basic ingredient, others put in 10g of fiber. But what makes popping open one of our cans the smarter choice is our fair price.
Your soda has suddenly found itself in the limelight – how do the Oettinger beers feel about this?
OeTTINGER BEVERAGES have been making soda and soft drinks for 50 years – with rip roaring success. Take our “Glorietta” brand, for example: It’s only available in the south of Germany, yet we sell 4 million liters of it a year. And with beer unfortunately fading out of the limelight somewhat in Germany currently, our sodas are taking its place.
Super Pop, Pamela Reif and others are also jumping on the smart drinking bandwagon. Just how much competition is healthy?
It’s cliché, but I really do believe it’s true: Competition stimulates business. When it comes to trade and consumption, we need to think out of the box. And we at OeTTINGER BEVERAGES can’t do it alone, especially given that our fair prices mean we don’t have a large marketing budget and so we appreciate the fact that there are other market players that help with opening doors.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while developing your soda?
We position our soda as a fully-fledged lemonade; our competitors aren’t zero products, so the challenge was getting it to taste like Fanta or Sprite and making sure it has the same mouthfeel as a real lemonade, all while using 80% less sugar.
Do you have any plans for the international market?
We do have some plans in the pipeline. We’ve already showcased our products at the world’s two biggest food and beverage trade fairs in Dubai and Cologne, and our international sales team is confident that we’ll be able to export our first cans abroad this year.
If OeLemonade were a song, what would it be?
Good question! A feel-good song with artful lyrics. And given that we’ve been talking about lemonade, it would have to be “Lemon Tree” by Fools Garden!
