Coca-Cola has been with Hong Kong people for nearly a century, and there have been rumors that Coke in glass bottles has the best flavor.
Gulu Gulu drank the cola to the bottom, and then released his stomach gas with a "squeak". It can be described as a collective memory of Hong Kong people. Some people even made a special trip to restaurants such as tea restaurants just to taste the glass bottle of Coke.
Therefore, when the Coca-Cola Company announced last year that it would stop producing glass bottled sodas, it caused a public uproar.
However, the new glass bottle of Coke is back, and the new production line has quietly started production at the end of April.
Yang Xiaohui, director and general manager of Swire Coca-Cola, recently explained the reasons for the replacement of the glass bottles and revealed the differences between the two glass bottles.
Interview with Swire Cola｜The sales volume of restaurants banned in the evening market dropped by 30%
Swire Coca-Cola has been producing glass bottled Coke locally since 1965, and the production line has been in operation for more than 40 years.
Yang Xiaohui said that due to the desire to replace new equipment, customers were notified last year that the old production line needed to be decommissioned and "vacated" for a year. With the launch of the new production line at the end of April, new glass bottled Cokes have been released in the market one after another.
New bottle capacity increased to 250ml: Consumers say 192ml is not enough for throat
What is the difference between the new glass bottle Coke and the old version?
In fact, the shape of the two has not changed much, maintaining the classic design of the curved arc, but the difference is that the new bottle accounts for 60% of the recycled glass material, the weight is also one-third lighter than before, and the capacity is increased by about 30% to 250ml.
Yang Xiaohui said, "I heard from consumers that 192ml is not enough for the throat, so we increased the volume."
As for another change, non-Coke drinks use a new transparent bottle, no longer divided into glass bottles such as Sprite and Fanta, but with soda stickers to distinguish them.
Yang explained that the same bottle is used uniformly. After recycling, soda bottles of any flavor only need to be cleaned, sterilized, refilled and affixed with posters before they can be re-launched on the market, which greatly increases environmental protection benefits.
"Because there are more bottle shapes, in fact, we have to collect all bottle shapes for each production. We need a minimum production volume before starting production."
▼Swire Coca-Cola Shatin Factory and Office▼
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Glass bottle plastic box changed to 12 bottles to attack the online shopping market
In fact, in the past, the sales channels of glass bottled products were limited. Hong Kong people had to go to restaurants such as tea restaurants and Chinese restaurants to have the opportunity to drink glass bottled soft drinks.
Yang Xiaohui pointed out that due to the fact that every inch of land in Hong Kong is expensive, many customers have reported that plastic boxes occupy more space, so the plastic boxes for storing glass bottles have been changed from 24 bottles in the past to 12 bottles, which can be easier to handle and store.
The newly designed plastic box also opens up new business opportunities. The company promotes it to more household customers through its online store and promotes the concept of environmentally friendly recycling.
She revealed that the online store is currently offering discounts, and the response has been good after the sale. About 1,000 boxes have been sold in the first week, most of which are new customers.
"I am overjoyed at how good the online sales are, reflecting that Hong Kong consumers have a soft spot for glass bottles."
Customers can also go to some 7-Eleven and OK convenience stores to buy new glass bottled soda.
Just like when you bought bottled drinks in the past, there is a refund deposit system. You only need to pay an additional 2 yuan. After drinking, you can return the bottle to the convenience store and you will be refunded.
Yang said that although it is not easy to operate, he is fortunate that the two convenience store chains are willing to try.
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The world's first Bonaqua no-signature mineral water
In addition to the glass bottle packaging line, Yang revealed that the "aseptic production line" was also put into operation in March last year, which is specially responsible for tea and juice bottled beverages.
Compared with the previous "hot-filling production", there is no need to use high-temperature heating for sterilization. Therefore, the weight and thickness of the plastic bottles can be reduced, and the rubber material can be reduced by 16% per bottle.
Yang also said that 25% to 30% of environmentally friendly recycled rubber has been added to the bottle body for the production of soft drinks under 600 ml.
Among them, there is no paper version of Bonaqua mineral water in Hong Kong, which is the first of the Coca-Cola system in the world. It uses 100% reconstituted rubber material and uses laser marking to print the product information on the plastic bottle, and add a barcode on the bottle cover for convenience. Available in supermarkets and convenience stores.
Hiring Anson Lo to endorse new product sales
In recent years, many brands have hired the popular group MIRROR to endorse, and Swire Coca-Cola is no exception. Recently, they invited group member Lu Hanting Anson Lo to endorse the new product OOHA soda.
Yang said that, knowing that MIRROR is very popular among consumers, "everyone between the ages of 30 and 80 likes it", and believes that it can promote the sales of new products. "We all think that Anson Lo is an artist with a healthy image."
After the launch of OOHA soda, sales were indeed much higher than originally expected.
Yang bluntly said that because he had invited different spokespersons, he felt the appeal of Anson Lo's fans, "It's amazing, it's so magical, I'm really overjoyed!" But when asked why the product didn't have Anson Lo's appearance, she laughed and said : "It's so expensive! Everyone knows it."
Coca-Cola relaunched glass bottles a year later. It contains 60% recycled glass and is 33% lighter than the old model. Swire Coca-Cola donates 500,000 bottles of drinks to quarantine facilities. Patients and medical staff can drink for free. The calendar is interesting to see that Swire Coca-Cola employees continue to strike the union: the employer verbally promised the Ministry of Distilled Water to restore the old system
