Betagro Group, one of Thailand's biggest agro-industrial and food companies, vows to continue its focus on super-premium food products in a bid to capitalise on the rapidly expanding trend within this segment.
According to Oliver Gottschall, chief operating officer for food business at Betagro, the company has invested 100 million baht in relaunching its S-Pure brand with a new marketing campaign.
The relaunch comes with new and extended product varieties, improved packaging designs, the use of paper trays to reduce plastic waste, and an extensive communication campaign to inform customers about the benefits of S-Pure's products.
According to Mr Gottschall, S-Pure is the first and only brand in Thailand that has received RWA ("raised without antibiotics") certification from the NSF USA for all three product categories of pork, chicken and egg products, catering to health-conscious customers who recognise the importance of 100% natural pure products free from antibiotics and growth hormones.
S-Pure's new communication campaign specifically addresses a new generation of health-conscious consumers concerned about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. With its new campaign and product relaunch, Betagro is set to grow the sales of its S-Pure brand by 17% this year compared to 2022, reinforcing its leadership in the super-premium food market.
Mr Gottschall said the super-premium food market is expected to reach a value of 57 billion baht in 2023, with consumer spending on meat growing by about 10% over the past three years. This has partly been driven by an improving economy and tourism sector, but also by changing consumer behaviour after Covid-19, he said.
"Consumers are much more focused on taking care of their health, which includes an increased awareness of the benefits of high quality, clean, safe food from sources that can be traced back and trusted. Sustainability and the environment are also strongly growing in importance. Our customers want to consume food that's good for the world and good for them," he said.
According to Mr Gottschall, Thailand's food industry remains promising, with an annual average growth of 6% a year. In 2023, the value of the Thai food industry is expected to reach 787 billion baht, with the figure set to reach 839 billion baht in 2024.