Nestlé Travel Retail International (NITR) is set to focus on sustainability and new products at next week’s TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition in Singapore (Level 2, J32).
The company’s presentation will centre on products within its VERSE (Value, Engagement, Regeneration, Sense of Place and Execution) model, including new travel retail-exclusive lines led by Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa.
NITR General Manager Stewart Dryburgh said: “Asia Pacific is a key market for Nestlé. Our products are well known, and we enjoy strong collaborations with leading retailers within travel retail. That said, there is always room for further growth.
“Our focus on innovation and forward-thinking gives us the opportunity to not only improve our standing in this diverse region but also to extend the overall food and confectionery basket within the channel.
“TFWA Asia Pacific has established itself as a key event on the travel industry calendar and this year I believe it will provide a stage for growth and development plans unlike any the industry has seen in the past.”
Dryburgh noted that Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa, already available in selected travel retail locations, will feature at the exhibition for the first time. As reported, NITR celebrated the product’s official launch last month with a homepage makeover of The Moodie Davitt Report.
“The range is exclusive to the channel and as the name suggests, its focus is on sustainability. These two factors – exclusivity and sustainability – will set NITR, the confectionery category, and industry in general, apart in the future,” Dryburgh added.
Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa showcases Nestlé’s work over the past 15 years in major cocoa growing regions via the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and its alliance with the Rainforest Alliance to support cocoa farmers and their communities. According to Dryburgh, the new line “does good and tastes good. It’s as simple as that.”
“I am confident that Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa can drive incremental sales in the Asia Pacific region,” he added. “It is tailor made to suit the demands of the increasingly important Gen Z travellers who are seeking something different, something that lives up to its name. At the same time, it appeals to all chocolate lovers.”
The Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa range includes 170g tablets in four flavours including Dark Chocolate, Blueberries, Almonds & Hazelnuts; Milk Chocolate, Cranberries, Almonds & Hazelnuts; Milk Chocolate & Hazelnuts; and Milk Chocolate, Raisins, Almonds & Hazelnuts.
Four 270g tablets are available in Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Milk Chocolate with Almonds flavours, while a 50-piece Assorted Chocolate Chunks includes Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts.
Key KitKat products, including KitKat Senses Cookie Dough, KitKat Senses Lotus & Milk and KitKat Destination Packs, will also be featured by NITR, along with Smarties and the latest additions to the company’s increasingly important coffee line-up.
KitKat Mini Moments Lotus & Milk (195.6g) is already popular with Gen Z travellers, as are KitKat Senses Cookie Dough and KitKat Destination Gift Packs. The eye-catching packs contain 6 x 4 Finger KitKat bars and target both gifting and sense of place with featured destinations including Singapore, Thailand, Dubai and Mumbai.
Smarties is another brand with strong sustainability credentials following its switch to recyclable paper packaging across its entire portfolio. Travel retail exclusive products are, according to NITR, key to its performance within the channel.
Its ‘Learn Through Play’ concept features in five lines: Smarties Topper Cards, Smarties Topper Dice, Smarties Music Creator (38g), Smarties Activity Tin and (4 x 34g) Smarties Cool Creatures (130g). The brand also offers 240g and 446g Smarties Sharing Bags.
Dryburgh noted that sales of coffee in the Asia region have grown dramatically – over +300% – during the past 12 months, buoyed by a strong and increasing demand in China. “NITR is fortunate to be in the position to meet this substantial demand as we have known and trusted brands and a range to suit every market segment,” he said.
Nescafé Gold and Original are included in the portfolio, along with Nescafé Gold Roastery, a batch-roasted coffee in Light Roast and Dark Roast blends. Premium barista-inspired instant coffee Nescafé Azera – Americano, Americano Decaff and Americano Intense – are proving popular on the Asian market.
Dryburgh cited research from APAC Travel Retail Market – Companies & Trends (mordorintelligence.com) indicating that travel retail in Asia is expected to show significant growth this year to reach an estimated US$90,11 billion by 2029.
“NITR is ready for that growth trend,” he said. “We have the products to match consumer demands and the willingness and ability to support our partners. The Asia Pacific region is fascinating because of its diversity. Regional markets need to be identified and targeted with suitable products to enhance sense of place and the growing trend towards experiences within travel and travel retail.
“We look forward to continued growth in Asia Pacific and the TFWA event is the perfect place to share our brands, theirs and our stories and sustainability credentials, and to underline our aim to make food the #1 most-purchased category in travel retail.”
NITR’s ‘Together We Grow’ platform, which aims to help retail partners accelerate sustainable programmes, will be a key part of NITR’s presentation in Singapore. The platform falls under the Regeneration pillar of NITR’s VERSE model and is exclusive to travel retail.
According to Dryburgh, ‘Together We Grow’ supports retail partners’ sustainability objectives at the same time as communicating the significant environmental impact Nestlé has made through its packaging projects, the Cocoa Plan and Coffee Plan responsible sourcing initiatives over the last 15 years.
The Nestlé Cocoa Plan was launched in 2009. It has engaged more than 150,000 cocoa-farming families so far, building on three pillars: better farming, aiming to improve livelihoods in communities; better lives, aiming to improve social conditions for families; and better cocoa, aiming to improve product sustainability.
The concept also incorporates Nestlé’s Income Accelerator Programme for selected KitKat products, which builds on the company’s longstanding efforts to tackle child labour risks in cocoa production. ✈
