AJE, the producer of Big carbonated drinks, is poised to expand nationally and regionally into new consumer product categories, using Thailand as its Asean hub of operations.
Fabian Mosquera, country manager for AJE Asean, said the company is ready to move beyond beverages, starting with D'Gussto premium canned saba fish in tomato sauce, which launched locally yesterday.
AJE entered Thailand in 2005, selling affordable carbonated soft drinks.
"Thailand is our first country to try sales of premium saba canned fish in tomato sauce," said Mr Mosquera.
"The consumption of canned fish in Thailand is quite high and we believe that with our affordable price concept, our canned fish products will gain a positive response from Thai customers."
He said Thailand's canned fish market has the opportunity for further growth because its price is competitive. More importantly, it does not have any direct competitors in the market.
In addition to D'Gussto saba canned fish, the company also launched Amayu, a 100% natural fruit juice created with coconut flowers produced by local farmers.
For Amayu, AJE works with farmers in Ban Phaeo district in Samut Sakhon province to supply the all-natural ingredients.
"We planned to expand into both product categories in Thailand five years ago, but the plan was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mr Mosquera.
Both D'Gussto and Amayu juice were added to its product portfolio in Thailand in an effort to double Asean sales by 2030.
The sales contribution from Asean is around 20% of the total for Peru-based AJE's global sales.
Excluding canned fish and 100% fruit juice, AJE markets products in five categories comprising Big carbonated drinks, Big Vida water, Volt energy drink, Bio functional drink and Sporade isotonic beverage.
He said the company sells these products in six markets: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Peru, Ecuador and Central America.
Mr Mosquera said the company remains committed to expanding carbonated soft drinks in Thailand, but it will move forward to reach more Thai consumers by exploring new opportunities in other product categories such as home care and personal care.
Apart from canned fish and fruit juice, the company plans to add 15 new product categories to its Thai portfolio by 2030.
He said Thailand serves as AJE's hub for Asean because of its strategic location and extensive distribution network.