LOCAL conglomerate GraceKennedy has launched a flavoured water product, heating up competition in a lucrative market that has been dominated by Wisynco and its brand of cranberry flavoured ‘Wata’.

GraceKennedy began distributing the new product, branded ‘Chillin’, last month. The product comes in three different flavours — water melon, cranberry and sorrel — and the firm is hoping that its flavour range will give it a competitive advantage on the market.

“(Grace is the) first to launch watermelon flavoured water (and) the inclusion of sorrel in the range at this time allows our consumers to access conveniently the additional health benefits of this very Jamaican product,” Anthony Lawrence, GraceKennedy’s global brand manager, told Sunday Finance.

“It should also be pointed out that the sorrel used in all our sorrel-based products such as Sorrel Water is grown right here in Jamaica and there is a growing tendency by our consumers to buy things Jamaican,” added Lawrence. “GraceKennedy is committed to supporting our farmers and so, being brand builders, our job is to create market opportunities here and around the world. When the farmers have a reliable market for their products then they will be motivated to produce higher quality products on a more consistent basis. This in turn will enable them to provide for their families on a consistent basis.”

Lawrence said the rationale behind GraceKennedy’s entrance into the flavoured water market is because of a growing worldwide health trend which has created the new market segment which has “significant upward potential”.

“People are looking for new and exciting flavours; light and refreshing beverages with known health benefits,” he said.

Indeed, GraceKennedy is just the latest, though most recognisable, of a string of manufacturers which have entered the flavoured water market. Wisynco Managing Director William Mahfood said has counted at least 12 companies that are now offering the product. The Wisynco boss, however, said he is unconcerned about rival companies eating into Wisynco’s dominant market share — Mahfood said Wisynco sells “tens of million” of bottles of flavoured water annually — and is in fact welcoming the competition to stimulate the market even further.

“I thrive on competition,” said Mahfood, adding that “At the end of the day it is how you deliver on the ground and I believe we have the best sales team.

“What (the competition) actually will do is bring people back home to the original,” continued the Wisynco boss. “That’s the reason why our year-to-date sales for Cranberry ‘Wata’ is 50 per cent over last year — because last year there was no competition and this year there are over ten brands on the market.”

GraceKennedy, said Lawrence, is aiming to sell “several million” bottles of its flavoured water product annually.