Barely one week after its introduction into the Nigerian market, Cappy, a premium fruit juice brand from the stable of Coca-Cola Nigeria has been endorsed by the National Agency for Food, Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC).
Deputy Director Enforcement, Mrs. Elizabeth Awagu, and Deputy Director Food Registration and Regulation Affairs, Mrs Ogochukwu Mainasara, said the product is excellent.
They were speaking at the Stakeholders forum held at Jade Gardens, Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island by Nigerian Bottling Company plc (NBC) and Coca-Cola Nigeria to formally introduce the product to distributors and other key stakeholders.
Mainasara said “Cappy has passed through meticulous evaluation by NAFDAC and the factory meets CGMP standards and laboratory evaluation satisfaction. All requirements are in place to produce a fruit juice with full food safety assurance. The work for it is awesome”.
Addressing stakeholders at the forum, Jim Lafferty, MD of Nigerian Bottling Company, said Coca-Cola’s only juice in the market before now, 5Alive is the number one brand and the market leader for the blended juices segment of the Nigerian market. This is because the 5Alive juice played in only 50 per cent of the market being a blend variety.
This has therefore left room for ample competition in the mono (single flavour) juices segment of the market. According to him, “Cappy signifies an entry into the mono juice segment of the market and this means we now play in the other half of the market from which we have been absent, we believe that like 5Alive, Cappy will come to lead the mono juice segment as well”.
The Head of Marketing, NBC, Kehinde Ebie stated that the juice segment is one of the fastest growing categories within the non-alcoholic beverages which is led by the mono juice segment. “Our business ambition” she stated “is to maintain the leadership position in the juice category, just as 5Alive is the number one in market share and distribution, we intend that Cappy will also mirror this success”.
Ebie stressed that there will be sampling activations for the Cappy brand through the Cappy orchards which include 3,500 key locations and stores in Nigeria where over 1 million Nigerians will experience the great taste of Cappy and that other marketing and brand awareness activations will follow the orchard sampling activation.
A fitness trainer and professional dancer based in the United States, Michael Adegoke, described Cappy as “amazing and out of this world.”
He added, “the fact that it has vitamins A, C and E, makes the brand unique and places it in a pedestal above others. “With its vitamins it is quite appropriate for health conscious individuals, and as a fitness expert I will recommend it to those that are interested in keeping in shape.”
A distributor from the Ikeja region, Mrs. Cecile Odiase, congratulated the Cappy brand for its bold entry into the Nigerian market. “With what I have tasted today I am absolutely sure that competition will not be able to rival Cappy because it has a strong potential of being the number one juice brand within months.”
Another distributor from the Ojodu region, Mrs. Kemi Olaiya, said that the product is nice and is a premium brand and has the potential to succeed in the marketplace.
Funmi Jeje, another distributor was of the opinion that the brand will be a huge market success, adding that she does not see any challenges for the brand for now.