RIYADH, 28 June 2007 -- As part of an ambitious effort to serve its customers in a novel way and widen its share of the juice and beverage market in Saudi Arabia, Almarai has launched an extensive range of bottled juices in a new modern look. The company has invested SR30 million to come up with the slim 1.75-liter bottle.

Addressing a press conference here, Hussam Abdul Qader, Almarai's general manager for marketing, said "the launch of new bottles with juices reflects the quality of the bottle and the product at the same time. It is a lightweight and modified bottle that flows with the fast developing lifestyle we all live now," he said, while referring to the extensive consumer research done by the company before launching the bottle.

Clayton Lee Buckley, Almarai marketing manager for juices & beverages; Hathal Saad Al-Utaibi, brand manager for juices; Monther M. Tayeb, PR chief and Yasser A. Altwaijri, event management officer, were at the conference.

The Saudi juice market is witnessing a consistent growth of 60 percent annually, company officials noted.

Buckley said "Almarai has been achieving a growth of 40 percent annually. We have embarked on modernization and modernizing packaging is an essential part in any company's development policy," he said, adding that "an important part of the product itself is to give the consumers the full picture of what it consists of."

He further said that "Almarai juices are the best in the market."

Al-Utaibi pointed out that "our Alfanso mango juice is the best in quality," saying that Almarai does a lot of research, which aims at knowing the taste appeal of the consumers."

"Although the consumer is price cautious, he or she also purchases based on the impression one gets," he noted. "This is in line with the policy of Almarai, which has taken the responsibility since it was established 30 years ago to develop its products in terms of appearance and ingredients.

Al-Utaibi moreover said Almarai is first company in the food industry to be awarded ISO quality certification. Almarai has also the distinction to bag the 'best food industry company award' given by Arabian Business Magazine. "These awards and commendations have been achieved because of the visionary leadership of our top management led by Prince Sultan Ibn Mohammed Ibn Saud Al-Kabeer," he said.

Tayeb asserted that "in fact, Prince Sultan recognized the potential to transform traditional methods of dairy farming to serve the needs of the rapidly expanding Saudi market, and what began with the processing of fresh milk and laban soon expanded into modern dairy farms and state-of-the-art processing facilities." The company today has its presence throughout the Arabian Peninsula, leading and influencing the agricultural and dairy processing sectors, he added.

By M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan

© Arab News 2007