Smart C+ woos health-conscious consumers

Smart C+, which comes in three variants—Lemon Squeeze, Orange Crush, and Pomelo Grapefruit—is positioned as an alternative ready-to-drink product among health-conscious consumers.

Whether an entrepreneur, homemaker, student, or just about everyone, juggling tasks in today’s fast-paced world can take a toll on one’s health.

This opened a market that Liwayway Marketing Corp. feels is ripe for a drink product that is packed with Vitamin C.

Liwayway Marketing, the company behind the much-loved Oishi and Kirei snack brands, forays into the ready to drink (RTD) market with Smart  C+, which thus far offers the highest Vitamin C content in its category.

Taking daily supplements is one way to be more resistant against sicknesses. However, the average person often finds it inconvenient to take supplements when in a hurry to face the morning rush hour or to pack a capsule or two in one’s bag for later use—thus the increasing demand for health drinks.

“There is increasing health awareness among consumers nowadays. The RTD beverage segment is a large growing market and there’s a rising popularity of drinks with added benefits like vitamins and such. This is an opportunity for Oishi to diversify its product portfolio into the RTD category,” VP for marketing Sheraleen Chan-Tiu says.

The company earlier entered the powdered beverages segment with Sundays, offering its popular Mango and Melon flavors. The convenience of RTDs, however, come with being easy to fit into any lifestyle, Tiu says.

“We really liked the idea of a high-vitamin C (content) drink (perhaps the most appreciated among vitamins) with all-natural components,” Tiu says.

Besides boosting the immune system, Vitamin C is an antioxidant and also enables the body to produce collagen, a protein essential to every cell of the body. Collagen connects the tissues and supports the skin, bones, and muscles, helping the body build the strength and resilience needed to fight the daily wear and tear brought about by an active lifestyle.

There are three variants for the drink: Lemon Squeeze, Orange Crush, and Pomelo Grapefruit. It comes in 350ml and 500ml PET bottles, and will soon be sold in 1 liter bottles as well.

Vitamin C is commonly found in drinks but in minimal doses, not in the levels that the body consumes. With 500mg of Vitamin C in every 500ml bottle of Smart C+ Fruit Drink, that’s the equivalent Vitamin C to either four grapefruits, eight oranges, or 11 lemons.

“This beats lugging around all those fruits to keep you protected,” Tiu says.

Smart C+, neither carbonated nor tea, has a subtler sweetness than such drinks. Tiu said this attracts consumers who find current offerings too sweet or who want an alternative drink.

Having no added preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and artificial coloring, Smart C+ is also a more natural drink option, Tiu said.

The declared vitamin C content in Smart C+ is measured based on what is effectively in the drink when the consumer drinks it, Tiu said. “We also test for the stability of the Vitamin C content as part of product development, to make sure the declaration is accurate,” Tiu said.

Smart C+ endorser Slater Young

While fresh fruit juices are the best, she said people on the go can get their daily dose of Vitamin C as one goes through each day, taking a snack or a break, on their way home, and any other time they can drink.

As for other products in the RTD portfolio, Tiu said Liwayway Marketing also has Fiber&fruit, which offers fiber in a convenient and refreshing drink. Each 350ml bottle already contains five grams of fiber or the equivalent of a sachet of the popular fiber supplements available in the market.

“We definitely have more beverage concepts lined up,” Tiu said without elaborating.

Liwayway Marketing is best known for Oishi, a Filipino brand of innovative snacks and beverages that includes Oishi Prawn Crackers, Marty’s Cracklin’, Pillows, and Smart C+, among others.

Oishi’s history dates back to 1946 when its founders Mr. and Mrs. Chan Lib began repacking and selling starch and coffee in post-war Manila.

Reflecting the optimism of the time, they branded the products Liwayway, which in the local dialect means “dawn.”

In 1974, Oishi brought in Japanese technology to make snack foods and named them Oishi and Kirei. Oishi, which in the Japanese language means “delicious,” later became the umbrella brand. Kirei, on the other hand, means “beautiful” or “clean.”