AFFORDABLE NUTRITION
NESCAFÉ: A GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Pack shot of the new product.
Just when many Nigerians would conclude that the 62-year old FMCG brand, Nestlé Nigeria Plc has plateaued in innovation, it launches out again – this time with NESCAFÉ Malty. Launched in February 2022, NESCAFÉ Malty is about 20 months old in the Nigerian market and has enjoyed consumer appeal and economic success.
Let me take you back in time?
The only known NESCAFÉ which sat proudly on the average Nigerian family table for decades was the NESCAFÉ Classic. It was 100% coffee and was enjoyed by coffee drinkers. But it also attracted the complaints of ‘the coffee is just too much for me, I can’t handle it, it requires a lot of sugar to dilute its bitterness, I find it hard to sleep when I take it’ and so on. This made millions of individuals to shy away from coffee.
It should be recalled that the nutrition and health company made a commitment in its Nestle Nigeria Fact File of 2011 that ‘We continue to heavily invest in the development and improvement in the nutritional profile of all our products. We also continue to reduce the salt, sugar, trans fat, saturated fat and artificial colourings which they contain.’
L-R: Category Manager Coffee, Gbenga Alabi; Managing Director, Wassim Elhusseini and Commercial Manager, Khaled Ramadan (all of Nestlé Nigeria PLC) at the launch of the new NESCAFÉ Malty 3in1 in Lagos last year, 2022.
‘Using science-based solutions, we seek to improve quality of life through food and diet, contributing to the health and wellbeing of consumers, including those with specific nutritional needs and those at the ‘base of the income pyramid’ offering products with accessible portion sizes and higher nutritional value, at lower prices.’
Thus, in response to the perennial complaints against the standard NESCAFÉ, the company innovated the NESCAFÉ 3-in-1. Several pro-tea individuals were immediately swayed into the coffee fold due to the rich, balanced blend of coffee, milk, and sugar inside NESCAFÉ 3-in-1. Just pour into a cup of hot water and you are ready to drink.
And then just when the new coffee ‘converts’ think they have what they need, Nestlé comes again – this time with NESCAFÉ Malty. This makes brand innovation even better for tea drinkers.
What makes NESCAFÉ Malty unique?
The perfect blend of coffee, creamer, sugar, and malt provides the stimulating feel which the body requires for a strong start to a successful day. For persons who don’t fancy dairy products or those who only have minimal need for it, NESCAFÉ Malty 3in1 serves you right.
Further, NESCAFÉ Malty 3in1 takes the economics of the vast consumer base into perspective as it comes in various sizes. It includes the 25g sachet which costs NGN 100. This is good nutrition on the platter of economic accessibility. It is prime – affordable nutrition.
At the launch of the product in 2022, the Managing Director/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr. Wassim Elhusseini affirmed: ‘At Nestlé, we are focused on unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone today and for generations to come. We therefore continuously provide distinctive food innovations fueled by creative exploration and consumer insights. It is based on this insight that NESCAFÉ Malty 3in1 was developed with the Nigerian consumer in mind, bringing together the goodness of malt with the rich flavour of NESCAFÉ that we enjoy at an affordable price.’
On his part, the Category Manager (NESCAFÉ), Mr. Gbenga Alabi proudly shared: ‘NESCAFÉ is proud to launch this new 3in1 with malt. This innovation is a result of years of dedicated research to find the perfect blend of coffee, creamer, sugar and malt that constitutes a rich cup of coffee. Each 25g serving of the new NESCAFÉ Malty 3in1 is formulated to provide the thrill to “Start Strong, Finish Strong”. It offers a great tasting stimulation that sets you up for the day, when you need to start with the best version of yourself.”
