Tea please: ITO EN to debut flagship brand Oi Ocha in India to seize ‘massive opportunities’
Oi Ocha, which means “tea please” in Japanese, has been leading the category since its launch in 1989. It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s top-selling “natural unsweetened RTD green tea beverage” in 2019.
Since then, it has continued to expand its footprint across the global green tea market. Today, the brand is available in over 40 countries and has a turnover of USD2.9bn.
In April, ITO EN appointed La Ditta Singapore Pte Ltd as its exclusive marketing and distributor partner in India, with the goal of officially entering the market within this year.
Attaching importance to India’s booming economy and its world-biggest population, the firm has its eyes set on gaining brand presence in this market.
“It is ITO EN’s first venture into the Indian market, where we see massive opportunities. The level of awareness about green tea products in the country is close to zero, as local consumer acceptance of these products has only began in recent times.
“ITO EN has always started its overseas business from scratch, and eventually came to grow each market to scale. We are confident about establishing a new market category in India,” Harry Hakuei Kosato, founder and managing director of La Ditta Singapore, told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Kosato is known as an instrumental figure for driving washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) in India for more than 17 years. He is also the Director of Kikkoman India, representing the Japanese soy sauce manufacturer since September 2020.
In December 2022, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) designated Kosato as a “Japanese Cuisine Goodwill Ambassador” for India, as part of its continuous efforts to promote the country’s food and dietary culture, ever since UNESCO accepted the registration of washoku as an intangible cultural heritage in 2013.
Over the next few months, ITO EN will be working closely with La Ditta to collaborate with various partners in studying the Indian market, and prepare for marketing and sales activities.
“India is quite different from other markets that Oi Ocha already has presence in, but we believe that there is huge potential for the brand in this market. Currently, we are still researching on which cities to launch in and to focus on.
“Our marketing strategy will centre on sampling to generate awareness for both the brand and the unique taste [of green tea] as well as its benefits. These include non-additive features, such as no sugar, no calories, and no artificial colours and flavours. What we offer is authentic Japanese green tea in a convenient RTD format.”
In the initial launch phase, the brand is looking to leverage e-commerce as a sales channel, with the aim of being available via all mainstream channels in the future.
