Nestea: Nestle's New Flagship to the Beverage Market

(Pierre Trouilhat, Head of Nestlé Equatorial African Region, Natasha Metto, Reigning Miss World Kenya, Guenter Spiess, Business Executive Manager-Coffee and Beverages and Terry Mungai, Ashleys Hair and Beauty Salon,  hold cups of Nestea)

I am just from a Launch of Nestle new product "Nestea®" at the Norfolk Hotel Nairobi : a beverage sold in powder form in sachets that will retail at Kenya Shillings Five per sachet .The Nestea brand which is making its debut in Kenya has a market presence in over 60 Countries . It is popular in countries such as United States, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and China. The flavored drink made from Tea and other fruit flavors is easy to prepare and requires to be only mixed with hot or cold water and is ready for the taking. 

(Natasha Metto and Pierre Trouilhat share a light moment)

Considering the price and the size of the sachets i had an interesting conversation with Nestle Equatorial African region business executive manager Guenter Spiess about environmental concerns on the packaging and he clarified:

• Since the sachets are small and affordable to aid in collection and recycling Nestle will be launching competitions whereby users will be encouraged to retain the used sachets for redemption of a Nestea Pitcher Mug or entry into a raffle. I find that pretty cool.
• The materials used are biodegradable hence there will be the least damage to the environment in instances where disposal is not effected in a proper manner.

Nestle's new product is set to rival the beverage market as the product is quality and can be taken as a soft drink. I am certain the biggest market share holder Coca Cola will not take this foray into its territory lying down. 

I am also certain Coca Cola could hardly come up with a product of this caliber at that price for the mass market but i stand to be corrected. Kudos to Nestle for the quick thinking after all we all love Tea and it is one of our main cash crops and export product. Nestea is made from 100% Kenyan Tea which is a plus for the local Tea producers and farmers.Should the product grow to be popular Kenya will be the main beneficiary.

Here is excerpts from the Official Press Release:

NESTEA® enters Kenya with a bang!

NESTEA® announces sponsorship of NESTEA® Miss World Kenya 2011

Nairobi, February 25, 2011: NESTEA®, a ready-mix iced tea brand, has partnered with Miss World Kenya 2011 beauty pageant to promote consumption of tea in Kenya. Elaborating on the tie up Guenter Spiess, Business Executive Manager - Coffee & Beverages for Nestlé Equatorial African Region said, “Through NESTEA® we are promoting a beautiful and healthy lifestyle, NESTEA® Miss World Kenya 2011 is an opportunity for us to realize dreams of a lucky few young girls.”

In addition to the NESTEA® Miss World Kenya 2011 sponsorship, Mr Spiess also announced, “Once in a life time opportunity for a girl from less privileged background, who meets the criterion, to change her destiny by participating in Miss NESTEA® Kenya 2011, a contest which will be held during the ongoing NESTEA® Roadshow’s and the winner of which will get direct entry into the NESTEA® Miss World Kenya 2011. All they need to qualify for participation is five sachets of NESTEA® to enter this competition  and NESTEA® will take care of the rest. At Nestlé we are always looking to connect with our consumers and for NESTEA® we know this will be a great opportunity to connect at the grassroots level.” 

Apart from the lemon and tropical flavors, NESTEA® has also added the apple variant to its range. The brand has introduced smaller single serve packs, now retailing at Ksh 5 which are readily available at all dukas and shopping malls. Speaking after the launch of NESTEA® Miss World Kenya 2011, Regional Head of Nestlé Equatorial Africa Region Pierre Trouilhat said, “This introduction of single serve packs are part of our overall strategy to reinforce Nestlé’s presence in emerging markets, with particular focus on the lower income consumer segments while always taking care of the nutrition element. NESTEA® is a family drink, where 2 glasses deliver an adults daily Vitamin C requirement for just Ksh 10 and I know it will appeal to all age groups.”

The trend currently in the most markets is that people tend to consume tea in the morning. NESTEA® aims to make consumption of tea ‘fashionable’ at any time of the day. NESTEA® ready-mix provides consumers with different flavours that can be enjoyed across the day as a refreshing and nutritious drink. Mr. Spiess elaborated and said even though tea consumption still tops the beverage markets there was need to diversify the product and make it an all-time drink.

The organiser of Miss World Kenya 2011 Mrs. Terry Mungai said the competition presented an equal opportunity for Kenyan girls from all backgrounds to make a difference and urged them to participate.

She said: “I would like to urge all Kenyan girls between the age group of 17-24 years and fulfilling the other criteria to come forward and participate in the NESTEA Miss World Kenya 2011.”

The Miss NESTEA® search will run between March and May 2011 and will be followed by the crowning of Miss NESTEA® Kenya.  The lucky winner will have a chance to enter into the NESTEA® Miss World Kenya semi finals with the full sponsorship of NESTEA® in terms of her attire and grooming. 

Gay Muslim Marriages:BBC News Item Reactions !

The BBC website carried a news item on Sunday February 20, 2011 about British gay Muslims joining the global foray for equality and licensing of gay marriages.This has resulted in mixed reactions considering the fact that gay marriages is considered particularly offensive under Islamic law.The BBC article carried the experiences of a British Gay couple "Sarah" and "Asra' who conducted  'a Nikah' ( a Muslim Matrimonial Contract) officiated by a fellow lesbian friend knowledgeable in Quran . The couple alleged that you

"don't really have to have an official Imam, but you need someone who is knowledgeable enough about the Qur'an to do it"

In response to the Article the blog "Eye on Gay Muslims"  carried an Article entitled "The Fallacy of Gay 'Islamic Marriages' " objecting to some of the issues  the article may seem to be promoting.The article states:

Their so-called “nikah” is in fact fundamentally different from an actual nikah performed for a man and woman.One of the essential conditions of a nikah is that the two people be marriageable to one another. A member of the same sex is not, in the Qur’anic paradigm, a marriageable partner. That is even if we don’t point out that homosexual relations are a sinful abomination.

This pair even state that they gave each other a “dowry”. In a nikah, the dowry (mahr, i.e. marriage gift) is strictly from the man to the woman. So how can they invent this ruling then claim it’s the same as a normal nikah?

The writer then proceeds to posit several rhetorical questions that i hereby reproduce including:

• One of the essential items of a marriage contract is the mahr (dowry) paid by the man to the woman. Who pays whom in one of your imagined ‘gay marriages’?
• A man may not marry his sister or mother. Can he marry his brother or father? Provide us some scriptural backing.
• A Muslim man may – if the law of the land permits – marry up to four women. Would you suggest the same for each man, resulting in a big complex web of men all married with each other?
• A man has the full obligation to provide for his wife and children, while the woman’s money is her own right to spend or keep as she wishes. What system will you devise into Islamic law for two men?
• In the eventuality of divorce, there is a difference between the procedure by the husband as compared to the wife. Which of the ‘gays’ gets the right to pronounce talaq?

I must say that i  was interested in this article for one, because i have not previously read of such an ambitious move within the Muslim religion.Two, the fact that this article and the people concerned are resident in Britain it posits the question ,could this development have been contributed to by the recent widespread  acceptance of homosexuality within  Christendom Churches in the Western World? Would such an article and perhaps the behaviour be tolerated in traditionally Muslim lands? Finally ,i am interested in the reactions of the general Muslim fraternity  and the intellectual discourses that may attach to the topic especially with regards to changes in religious ideologies.

Latest on The New Zealand Earthquake

A 6.3 Richter Scale Earthquake has hit the island of New Zealand at around 12:45 P.M  leaving an estimated 65 people dead in its aftermath.This is perhaps one of the worst earthquakes to be experienced in the region in the recent pasts. It seems there is no respite for this death dealing kind of earthquakes especially coming only a year after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

Such disasters prompt me to think is Kenya really prepared as a Country to handle such large scale Disasters or do we continue to engage ourselves in petty politics, sometimes even playing God with little or no concern for the interests and safety of the vast populations.Kenyan Politicians be ware you are as puny as the ants and the more you play out selfish interests the more you imperil the lives of the Citizens. My sincere condolences to the victims of the New Zealand Earthquake.