The Finnish beverage market
It is estimated that per capita annual consumption in Finland is 691 litres. About a quarter of this amount is accounted for by beverages made by the brewing and soft drinks industry: beers, ciders, long drinks, soft drinks, bottled waters or speciality drinks. In Finland, aggregate sales by the industry are quite stable. In 2009, total sales of beverages was 870 million litres according to ETL, including sales of the members of The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry.
Sales of new kinds of healthy options in drinks are surging all over the world, and light drinks are claiming market share from traditional soft drinks. This same trend is evident in Finland, too, where light drinks now already account for almost 40% of sales of soft drinks and new types of beverages are seeing growth in the double digits.
Waters and new natural beverages are on the rise
Other global megatrends in the beverage industry are the shift from hot to cold beverages, growth in consumption of non-alcoholic beverages, the fragmentation of the market into a greater variety of beverage groups, naturalness, light drinks, health and on-the-go consumption. The changing needs of consumers are the primary driver of market development. Beverages should not only taste good, but they should also be healthy, suitable for the occasion and convenient (Zenith International).
Finland is one the leading countries for light drinks
The development of the Finnish soft drinks market is driven by the same trends seen in the rest of the world. The beverage market is most strongly affected by the health and wellbeing trend, which is evident in the growth in bottled waters, light drinks and new natural beverages. Globalisation is countered by the strong position of Finnish brands.
Each Finn drinks about 67 litres of soft drinks a year on average. Consumption is quite moderate, as in the rest of Europe per capita consumption is close to 100 litres. On the other hand, consumption of light soft drinks is relatively high in Finland. The share accounted for by sugar-sweetened soft drinks has declined during all of the 2000s, while sales of light soft drinks have increased by about a quarter.
Diverse range fosters a beer culture
Hartwall seeks to nurture an authentic beer culture in Finland. Beer consumption will no longer see quantitative growth. Domestic brands will hold on to their strong position, but sales of speciality beers will also grow. Finnish and foreign speciality beers enrich the offering and interest today’s consumer.
Hartwall caters to the changing needs of consumers and fosters a beer culture by developing and investing in its products, expanding its range of speciality beers and introducing more package alternatives.
Finns love cider
Finland ranks second in cider consumption in the world – only the Irish drink more cider than the Finns. Some 11 litres of cider is enjoyed per capita a year.
The largest cider segment comprises flavoured ciders. Sales of dry apple ciders have also swung to growth. Many consumers are favouring natural ciders.
Long drinks are also exceptionally popular in Finland. In 2009 the sales of long drinks amounted for 47,5 million litres.
Giving consumers real choices
Hartwall caters to the changing needs of consumers by rolling out innovative products and offering real choices in all beverage groups. In non-alcoholic beverages, Hartwall’s range includes not only various soft drinks and their light versions, but also mineral and spring waters, the light, fructose-sweetened Hartwall Novelle Friss beverages, the mineral water and juice blend Hartwall Novelle Fruity, ED energy drinks, Hartwall Fenix health drinks and Gatorade sports drinks.
In the beer category, Hartwall has launched the 1836 Classic Gourmet that is especially designed for food occassions. In addition to domestic specialities, Hartwall’s beer portfolio is rounded out by products such international premium lager Heineken, Krušovice beers from the Czech Republic, Newcastle Brown Ale and Murphy's Irish Stout. Hartwall's non-alcoholic beer option is Dutch Buckler.