There can be few big FMCG brands where the customer is as beloved among its suppliers as Ribena. But then there are few that buy such an overwhelming percentage of a single product as Ribena does of the British blackcurrant crop. It is a true partnership – quite simply, one would not exist without the other.
One of the best-known brands in the supermarket, kids’ favourite Ribena made headlines in 2013 when parent GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sold it and sister brand Lucozade to Japanese firm Suntory. That brought inevitable furrowed brows as growers sought assurances that the Far East company – which already owned Orangina Schweppes – was committed to the future development of the classic British brand.
It seems any fears have been more than allayed though, and to hear Peter Harding, chief operating officer at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, talk, is to listen to someone genuinely passionate about the products he represents. Harding, who spoke to FPJ and the industry at the International Blackcurrant Conference in Ashford last month, describes the new marriage as an “eclectic mix of old and new”, with a raft of new plans for the brand juxtaposing the tradition of Ribena, which has been producing on the original site in Gloucestershire since 1938.
Harding believes Suntory is a very different owner to GSK – while the former parent was very much focused on the science, Suntory has a “deep love for soft drinks and a passion for craftsmanship and authenticity” which he says makes it the ideal fit for Ribena. The commitment to growers, he stresses, is absolute.
Ribena might be well established in kids’ lunchboxes, but life hasn’t all been plain sailing of late. Last year, the brand suffered a knock when Tesco decided to delist lunchbox-sized cartons of Ribena, Capri-Sun and Rubicon, claiming it was doing its bit for the obesity debate. Criticism that the retailer was still selling products like Coca-Cola and cigarettes fell on deaf ears.
Despite still having a number of SKUs in Tesco, the situation did highlight an unavoidable issue that juice manufacturers cannot ignore. Sucked into the chancellor’s bombshell sugar tax, taking the high ground and arguing about portions of 5 A Day simply won’t cut it any more.
Admirably, Harding does not shy away from the issue and says Ribena is taking it hugely seriously. “The soft drinks industry as a whole is under unprecedented reputational pressure,” he says. “That will continue until we make some changes. Our position is that we have to accept it and deliver a more balanced portfolio and step forward to encourage people to take the calories out of their diets. There’s a responsibility to do something about exercise and getting people moving, and we will lead the industry on that.”
Ribena is also making some significant pledges on calorie reduction itself. Over 50 per cent of its portfolio is now lower-calorie, and last year the company pledged to further reduce the calories across its range by 20 per cent per 100ml by 2025 or before. There will be a particular marketing push on Ribena Light and promoting the lower-calorie products. “This is the only way we can maintain a sustainable business going forward,” he stresses.
Harding admits that it has been tough to achieve strong growth in recent years, and forecasting the future is even more perilous, but he is optimistic that the industry’s reputational issues are being overcome and Ribena is well placed to be a positive influence in the health debate. “My ambition is we get to a point where the brand has more success in both the UK and international markets, which will allow us to start increasing the level of demand for blackcurrants as a whole. Are we there at the moment? No, we are not, but we are starting to see some significant growth in the UK.”
Britain’s blackcurrant growers are every bit as invested in hoping that ambition becomes a reality.
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