Battle of the bubbles
With new packaging and a push to international markets, Badoit could become king of sparkling waters in the Middle East, says Evian Volvic Export GM, Elio Pacheco
Multinational food-products corporation Danone is embarking on the global launch and rebranding of its premium sparkling water brand Badoit, specifically targeting the high-end hotel and restaurant business.
It’s a brand that, up until now, has only been available in France and French overseas territories, but Evian Volvic Export GM, Elio Pacheco, is taking it to the export market, as a “sparkling accompaniment to its still water brand, Evian”.
“In the research that we have done, people refer to Badoit as the champagne of water,” Pacheco says. “It’s not overly carbonated, and it’s one of, if not the only, premium sparkling brand in the market that is naturally sparking from source.”
The incredibly fine bubbles, which are one of the key differentiating features of the water, make it the perfect partner for fine dining, Pacheco believes, and has inspired an elegant rebranding.
“It is a new label that will align better with the product, and the fine bubbles,” he says. “Chefs that we have worked with say that the fine bubbles enhance the meal, rather than compete against it.”
The development of the brand has included the creation of a new PET bottle – to meet the needs of resorts with outdoor and poolside restaurant operations – and a new label and product identity.
Due to this fact, Pacheco said that hotels and restaurants will be able to make Badoit the most expensive water brand available on their menu.
“We had to get the pricing architecture right – what price should come out that provides superior margins to the F&B managers. By margin, I don’t mean percent, I mean absolute margin. We feel that this product is so special, so different from the other alternatives, that we can price it higher,” he explained.
“The objective for Evian was to be in the top tier of hotels, which it is. And right now there has been another brand typically in there. We decided to launch another product that is better, we believe, than our competition and be as good as Evian. Badoit is that so of course our real push is to push both and have it at a higher price, therefore making maximum margin,” Pacheco added.
“We are focused on top tier hotels and restaurants around the world. And we believe it will be a huge success and eventually the benchmark in terms of sparkling water,” he asserted.
With an aim to make the water a new benchmark in the Middle East and a plan to launch it throughout the region, the company has had to up production dramatically, but Pacheco insists that even though there are plans to manage the source for sustainability reasons, based on forecasts for the next five years, the source will still flow freely.
Badoit is available in the Middle East through a variety of distributors including Armada Distribution in UAE; Arrow Food in KSA; and Ali Bin Ali in Qatar.