Last week, Nigerian Breweries Plc, the foremost brewer in the country, launched the first zobo-flavoured alcoholic drink into the Nigerian market.
It was its latest addition into the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) market.
The launch was held in Lagos and the Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria Maggi, explained to journalists that the Ace Desire was a sophisticated blend of spirit, natural Hibiscus or zobo extracts, being the traditional beverage produced from Hibiscus leaves.
But our correspondent went to town to sample the views of consumers on the new product and some of them expressed concerns over the health implications of the new drink.
“Zobo is known as a natural drink rich in Vitamin C and others, but making it alcoholic is what I don’t understand,” one of the people interviewed named Funke Akinode told our correspondent.
Another, named Promise Okey, said “I am just aware of the drink, but why make zobo alcoholic especially now people are careful of alcohol intake. I don’t think it is a good idea from Nigerian Breweries.”
“You mean there is now an alcoholic zobo drink from Nigerian Breweries? Are these people aware of the dangers of alcohol intake to our health? It would have been a perfect idea if the produced zobo was in its natural form and not this new one.
“Are they not aware of the increasing rate of kidney, liver, diabetes and heart diseases caused by alcohol among consumers? This is a no-no from me. These people are just only after making money from consumers and do not care about their wellbeing,” another respondent, who identified himself as Chetta Okoye said.
However, the Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria Maggi, has allayed fears of consumers about the potential health issues raised.
In a statement issued last week, Maggi was quoted to have described Ace Desire as a, “rich combination of a balanced mix of spirit and Hibiscus extracts (containing) 5.5% alcohol, and offers a tingling sensation and rich aroma.”
According to the senior research officer with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Lagos, Dr Ochuko Erukainure, zobo helps in reducing cholesterol level, high blood pressure, diabetes and constipation in the human system.
Erukainure added that zobo contains acidic polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, such as cyanide and delphine and helps to lower blood pressure, as it contains an enzyme inhibitor which blocks the production of amylase.
However, the nutritional biochemist warned that zobo drink may not be suitable for pregnant women because it could lead to miscarriage just as it also not okay for patients diagnosed with low blood pressure.
Aproko247 gathered that some nutritional experts have advised that zobo drink should not be mixed with sugar as it could be dangerous.
Meanwhile, experts have doubted the success of the new product based on past experiences.
Recall that Nigerian Breweries launched the Ace brand in December 2014 with an apple-flavoured alcoholic drink called Ace Passion.
About four months later, precisely in March 2015, it launched another called the Ace Roots, a spirit mixed alcoholic drink made from African herbs.
It was widely believed then that Nigerian Breweries introduced Ace Roots into the market to rival its market’s biggest competitor, Diaego/Guinness Nigeria Plc, which produces Origjin, an alcoholic beverage.
Furthermore, the introduction of Ace Passion was speculated to wrestle the large market share Smirnoff Ice enjoyed.
But what these products were meant to do, according to some market analysts, were never achieved as consumers preferred Orijin to Ace Roots and Smirnoff Ice still dominating the market.
In the first few weeks, there was a rush for Ace Roots, but later, consumers started to leave the drink for Orijin, which they said tasted and worked better.
In fact, beer sellers sampled by our correspondent claimed sales of Ace Roots have dropped drastically and that people prefer to drink Orijin to Ace Roots.
Bars and restaurants visited in Lagos showed that they are struggling to push the Ace brand to consumers, though the Ace Rhythm, a mix of Vodka and Citrus, which was unveiled in November 2015, seems to be liked by consumers.
According to an article written by Adeola Adejokun and published on the website JALUPON on May 25, 2016, Adejokun said in the website’s ‘Brand Intelligence’ segment that “Officially, Orijin is Nigeria’s bestselling alcoholic beverage.”
The article went on to say that if the equivalent of England-based catalogue, “The Millionaires’ Club” that ranks brands, liquors and spirits were to be in existence in Nigeria today, the Club would have continuously rated Orijin as Nigeria’s bestselling liquor brand.
Orijin’s leadership position was also confirmed in a recent Renaissance Capital (RenCap) research distilled from engagement with bitters vendors and liquor distributors.
Notable Abuja-based alcoholic liquor distributor, Chief Edmund Okafor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Eddinho Nigeria Limited, also affirms the market leadership of Orijin.
“Orijin is a sensation in the alcoholic beverage distribution value chain. It is fast-selling and we always play catch-up to meet the demand for the brand. I believe Guinness Nigeria is reaping the reward for consistency in delivery of quality products. Clearly, the high quality of Orijin has also endeared it to Nigerians irrespective of class and status. Nigerians love quality,” said Edmund.
However, Nigerian Breweries is a company known as “the house of quality” and it is believed that they will get it right this time with the introduction of Ace Desire.
This was echoed by Maggi during the launch last Thursday when he said, “The brand’s ambition is to lead in the Nigerian RTD category by establishing itself as the relentless pioneer of innovation.”
He promised that the product would be available in outlets across the country over the next few weeks.
Maggi disclosed that the extensions of the Ace brand have always been informed by the need to satisfy different consumer taste profiles that evolve and change over time.
