One of the driving principles directed by Brad Alford, chairman and chief executive officer of Nestlé USA, Glendale, Calif., is the availability of Nestlé products wherever and whenever consumers desire them.
This summer, select campgrounds across the country are stocking Nestlé’s ready-to-drink (RTD) Nesquik flavored milk, Juicy Juice beverages and liquid Coffee-mate non-dairy coffee creamer. RTD Nesquik and Juicy Juice varieties also are being offered at the concession stands at certain minor league baseball parks. Throughout the United States, customers at Wendy’s restaurants can purchase 8-ounce fortified white milk and chocolate Nesquik milk to accompany their meals.
The wider availability of its beverages has been spurred by the company’s $670 million plant in Anderson, Ind. The production facility and warehouse opened in 2009 and is dedicated to the aseptic production of RTD Nesquik varieties and Coffee-mate liquid products in PET bottles. Nestlé’s Anderson plant is the first in the United States to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for PET aseptic production, the company says.
Shelf-stable Nesquik and Coffee-mate can be distributed and stored without refrigeration, which created new opportunities for Nestlé beverages’ route-to-market. In response, Nestlé reshaped its chilled beverage sales force to focus on direct-store-distribution (DSD) accounts. The expanded sales force has taken the lead and broadened distribution into new accounts, says Joe Melone, sales director for Nestlé’s DSD beverage sales force.
“It all goes back to having our products available wherever and whenever the consumer desires them,” Melone says. “We really just scratched the surface, and we’ve had a lot of successes, but I think there’s so many more venues out there that we haven’t got to.”
In addition, the new DSD partnerships have led to new innovations, not just for the brands produced in Anderson, but across Nestlé’s entire beverage portfolio, the company says. Nestlé has seen increasing popularity for its 8-ounce bottles of Nesquik flavored milk and 100 Calorie Nesquik flavored milk, which also is packaged in 8-ounce bottles. In June, the company introduced Juicy Juice Sparkling in Apple, Berry and Orange varieties.