GraceKennedy has launched a new line of fortified food drink products for its Grace Food drinks to take greater share of a market currently dominated by Lasco.

“We believe the market for powdered fortified fruit drinks is huge…and we believe that the market has space for at least two brands,” stated Andrew Collins, global category manager, Beverages, GraceKennedy.

The product is a fortified powdered beverage and comes in four flavours – Smooth Vanilla, Tropical Strawberry, Buttered Almond and Walnut Caramel.

The products were launched at a breakfast party held at Grace's head office in downtown Kingston on Friday.

“We have listened to our customers who have told us that they needed variety in this category. And hence we've launched these products to provide them with this choice,” said Karen Mussington, senior brand manager, Beverages, GraceKennedy.

“The inspiration for this product came from four main market research-determined areas: nutrition, taste, affordability, and flavour. People really wanted [new] flavours, they wanted nutrition, they wanted affordability, and importantly they wanted great-tasting nutrition,” Collins said.

Though remaining tight-lipped on the amount invested in the product, Collins said that they have done so significantly in order to make it a product of value. “I don't want to give an exact figure, as at this time investment is ongoing, but I would say that we believe we have invested optimally to ensure that the Grace Food drink is a success in the market,” he said.

“The first port of call is the Caribbean. There is increasing interest from our Caribbean partners, and so our next stop will be certain Caribbean markets, in particular those Caribbean markets where we have a Jamaican community and where the food drink is already known to those constituents.”

CEO of Grace Food Andrea Coy stated that bringing the product to market “took longer than it normally would” but she was “very confident that we have a great product… providing (the consumers) with a choice of exciting new flavours”.

“We've come in at a very, very affordable price, actually about 20% less than the competitor. We started selling to the trade two weeks ago, and so it's relatively new,” stated Mussington.

“Over the next weeks we're going to be all over Jamaica. With islandwide sampling we're going to be encouraging people to indulge in the product and to fall in love with it.”

The Grace Food Drink is available islandwide and is offered in single 120-gram sachets, with three servings per sachet, at a recommended price of $99.00 plus GCT.

“We're gonna go hard in the market with this product,” exclaimed Coy.