Kirin wine brand Mercian is partnering with Chilean wine giant Concha y Toro to launch a series of premium products including Japanese wines with a globalised flavour profile to improve its worldwide reach.
Japanese firm DyDo DRINCO recently released functional beverages targeted at skin-conscious female consumers, as well as beverages fortified with magnesium and vitamin D, nutrients that the firm says is lacking in the Japanese diet.
Japan-headquartered Aiya is looking to seize growth opportunities in the Middle East, where the matcha market is still in its infancy and has significant room for expansion.
Asahi Europe & International (AEI) will acquire Wisconsin contract beverage production and co-packing company Octopi Brewing: representing a ‘significant step forward’ in accelerating its global growth plan for Asahi Super Dry, which will now be brewed...
Japanese drinks such as matcha and sake are being brought to ‘Western’ countries such as the UK and North American countries. Japanese sake is mostly drunk in restaurants the UK, although an event in Kensington, London stressed that it can be more versatile....
Exclusive and limited-edition packaging designs coupled with ongoing government support have been cited as two key factors behind the rapid and relentless growth of the Japanese whiskey sector.
Singapore upcycled beer brand CRUST Group has seen a CAGR of over 70% since its first year of business, which has catalysed its overseas expansion plans and diversification into categories beyond beverages.
Sapporo’s AI-developed alcoholic beverage, Kirin’s focus on functional drinks, Japan’s new international trade agreements to boost food security, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and latest research findings feature in this edition of Japan...
Japanese trading company Moacal Co., Ltd has introduced a new beverage brand that focuses on decaffeinated coffee products, with plans to dip into other drink categories as well as functional beverages.
Sapporo Breweries and IBM Japan have jointly established an artificial intelligence (AI) system that significantly reduces the time and cost of new product development, and which is poised to play a key role in the alcohol firm’s future innovations.
Fruit sales and marketing network Frutura has signed a licensing agreement with The Coca-Cola Company: marking the first time Coca-Cola has licensed a brand for use within the fresh produce category.
Beverage giant Asahi has seen a resurgence of consumer interest in beer in Japan, but believes that some challenges are upcoming for other segments including low-alcohol and non-alcoholic products.
Japanese firms will gradually introduce a new voluntary net alcohol labelling scheme to avoid cost and environmental impacts, according to beer giant Kirin.
Alcohol giant Kirin has launched out its first hard seltzers in Japan as well as a new whiskey in response to rising trends surrounding ready-to-drink (RTD) consumption and sustained interest in the country’s whiskey sector.
Japanese beverage giant Kirin has highlighted its plans to boost the long-suffering domestic beer market as well as innovating with sustainable packaging.in a new medium-term business plan.
The alcohol industry in Japan is concerned over the impacts of the country’s latest rounds of COVID-19 restrictions on the sector’s growth, with many businesses in a stake of flux and uncertainty and even major traditional breweries looking to expand...
Kirin Brewery and Kirin Beverage have announced their respective business strategy for the year ahead, with the former focusing on strengthening its craft beer sales, and the latter on growing its immune care pillar.
Japan’s wine market is facing an uphill battle due to the ageing work force, global warming and the lingering effects of COVID-19, but firms remain optimistic of boosting sales at home and abroad.
A study in Japan has shown how alkaline ionised water can increase the pH level of enamel surface after consumption of acidic beverages, suggesting its practical use in preventing dental erosion.
Japanese brewery giant Sapporo is debuting its first hard seltzer products and a beer-like beverage across supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide, as it looks to strengthen its home-consumption portfolio amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diageo has made a minority investment in Komasa Kanosuke Distillery, a producer of ultra-premium single-malt whiskies, through accelerator Distell Ventures.
Japanese consumer demand for Australian cider is on the rise due to flavour and packaging compatibility, but experts are also predicting a boom for domestic craft producers, despite a challenging regulatory environment.
Kirin is adding the immune-boosting ingredient Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (Lc-Plasma) into its flagship milk tea and green tea products, with the firm banking on the health angle that has driven the success of its iMuse functional brand to halt...
Yakult has detailed its plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through its newly established Environmental Vision 2050, which will also include efforts to reduce plastic packaging by 30% by 2030.
Suntory has implemented a new Internet of Things (IoT) system at its bottled water plant in Japan’s Nagono Prefecture, which is said to rapidly speed-up troubleshooting procedures.
Coca-Cola Japan has developed a barley tea, green tea and coffee freeze-dried cube under the 1,2,CUBE brand to bring an innovative, convenient, and environmentally friendly solution to the instant beverage market.
Kirin’s wine subsidiary Mercian Corporation has developed its first non-alcoholic sangria drink, designed to capture the attention of younger consumers.
Nestle Japan has launched two ‘plant-based coffee’ ranges as it seeks to maximise the appeal of one of the nation’s most-consumed beverages while tapping into one of the hottest consumer trends.
Japanese brewery giants Asahi and Kirin are reacting cautiously to the government’s push to include alcoholic content by gramme on product labels, though both will be implementing changes which experts believe will be emulated by the rest of the industry...
Yakult Honsha is expanding sales of its Yakult 1000 product – a probiotic drink containing its proprietary Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota and formulated to relive stress and improve sleep across the whole of Japan.
Robots developed by researchers at Hokkaido University are being trialled at a Japanese vineyard, Hokkaido Wine, for pesticide spraying and weed control.
Asahi Breweries is to launch a new carbonated low alcoholic drink called Beery as part of its drive to see sales of products at 3.5% ABV or lower increase from 6% to 20% by 2025.
Kirin Brewery is focusing on its core beer brands and canned craft beer business, amid a not-so-positive outlook for the low-malt happoshu sector and new categories following COVID-19 and a recent liquor tax revision.
Japan’s plan to reduce the gap in taxes levied on the three main beer categories in the country is expected to first stimulate rapid new product innovation across the board, then also deliver a boost to the traditional beer segment in the long run, according...
Leading Japanese firms Asahi, Ajinomoto, Kirin, Hotei Foods, Nippn and Nissin have underlined how their manufacturing, R&D and employee safety are being maintained as certain prefectures come under another state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan-based co-creation platform Trinus has co-developed a new vinegar drink brand called Hoplus with INHOP, a subsidiary of Kirin Holdings, containing matured hop extract.
Japan’s Kirin Holdings has becoming the first beverage and alcohol manufacturer in the country to transition to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper packaging.
Kirin Holdings and Kirin Beverage are set to relaunch its existing iMUSE brand as a functional food brand in Japan after six of its products received Food with Function Claims (FFC).
Japan’s mellow has established its first physical retail presence in Japan after launching its CBD carbonated beverage and supplements online in June this year.
Ribena-owner Lucozade Ribena Suntory has changed its name to Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I. The move seeks to bring the London-headquartered company closer to Japanese parent Suntory Global – but what does that mean in practice?
Kirin and FANCL is set to release two new beverages in Japan this October, including one with a Food with Function (FFC) claim - their first such products since forming a business alliance last year.
