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Charlie’s Grows into The Better Drinks Co.

CHARLIE’S GROWS INTO THE BETTER DRINKS CO
The name change is just a start

In a move designed to drive continuous improvement in everything the business does, iconic New Zealand beverage company Charlie’s is changing its name to The Better Drinks Co Limited.

The change represents far more than simply a new name, says The Better Drinks Co CEO Craig Cotton.

Consumers can expect to welcome new products and new brands which, like Phoenix and Charlie’s, will all have something ‘better’ about them. Trade customers are promised the business will be better than its competitors at listening and responding to their needs.

Craig Cotton says the business is continuing its move from adolescence to adulthood and the new name is a key part of the journey.

“‘Better’ is a challenge and a promise that gives us something to live up to,” Cotton says. “Better range, better choice and being better at everything we do from sourcing, manufacturing and final delivery via our customers to our consumers.

“We simply want to start by being better listeners to our staff, to our customers, consumers and partners.”

Cotton says the ‘honest’ values that set Charlie’s apart from its competitors remain. “Our aim is to build a strong New Zealand company that’s winning at home and overseas, while retaining the Charlie’s values of honesty and integrity. We’re thinking big but acting small.”

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The change of corporate name doesn’t affect the well known and loved Charlie’s and Phoenix brand names, Cotton says. “The separation of corporate and brand identities gives us the freedom to drive greater brand innovation and that is one of the prime goals of the move.”

The ‘being better’ philosophy is a foundation element in building the company’s stable of brands providing the fundamental premise on which opportunities and products can be built, he says.

“This will ensure two things - both Charlie’s and Phoenix can become more precise in their brand profiles and that in turn enables us to create new brands that sit outside those profiles.”

Cotton cites as an example of listening better the fact the entire head office and manufacturing team has been out in the market during recent weeks.

“We’ve been talking to our customers and suppliers about the new name and philosophy, and listening to feedback – it’s all been very positive but also brought home to the team how much room there is for us to be better.”

Cotton says the intention is to retain and foster the innovation and brand thinking used to develop both the Charlie’s and Phoenix brands.

“We live or die on the taste, ingredients and the quality delivered by our products, so we’re going to make sure our products continue to be better than the rest.”

As a few examples of being better, Cotton cited:

• Not having rubbish bins at each desk in the office, instead choosing to have a recyclable station.
• Commitment to use recyclable and renewable packaging wherever possible despite the additional cost in doing so.
• Reducing natural sugar levels in products (new light Cola, 50% less Sugar Juice range, Kids) while ensuring continued great taste.
• The company’s philosophy that everyone can play a part in being ‘better’ e.g. a junior marketing staff member’s idea became the foundation of the company’s new energy drink (Phoenix Good Energy) based on overcoming what consumers reject about current artificial energy drinks.
• Multiple contacts for customers within The Better Drinks Co’s internal structure.
• Establishing a dialogue with AUT on better ways to recruit and induct graduates.
• Developing people, with six members of the Henderson production team recently completing an English literacy programme to develop their communication skills.

“Our philosophy is one of continuous improvement, challenging ourselves to simply be better on every occasion,” Cotton maintains.

“We are doing this by thinking big but acting small. While others shout we listen harder. While others aim to restrict choice through exclusive contracts, we offer it and we sell on the strength of our brands not the power and size of our wallets.”

The name change takes effect officially from 1 June and is ever present in the company’s dynamic new open plan office space in Auckland’s Parnell.

Notable features include an entry space which resembles a café but also a family kitchen, which as Cotton puts it, “is at the heart of any family”.

The commercial space is open plan with some functional breakout and quiet zones.

“But the fun aspect is never out of sight with a basketball area for shooting some hoops and a slide in the boardroom to ensure things never get too serious,” Cotton says. “The whole space is about encouraging collaboration and creativity with commercial reality but ensuring we have fun along the way.”

A huge mural in the café / kitchen gives a graphical depiction of the company’s story so far. However, Cotton says the most exciting thing is the wide expanse of white walls that enable the team to create and map their new future.

Ends

About The Better Drinks Co
The Better Drinks Co was founded in 1999 as Charlie’s and today is one of New Zealand's most well-known beverage companies. Charlie’s was the brainchild of childhood mates Marc Ellis, Stefan Lepionka and Simon Neal. They founded it on the principle of providing quality and freshly squeezed juice to consumers, with honesty the cornerstone of the product offering.

Charlie’s listed on the NZX in 2005. The same year it bought Phoenix Organics, a manufacturer of a range of natural, organic juices, sparkling drinks and waters. In turn, Charlie’s was purchased by Asahi in August 2011 and was renamed The Better Drinks Co in June 2013.

Better is a challenge and a promise that gives The Better Drinks Co something to live up to. Better range, better choice and being better at everything from sourcing, manufacturing and final delivery via customers to consumers.

The “being better” philosophy is a foundation element in building the company’s stable of brands providing the fundamental premise on which opportunities and products can be built.

Today The Better Drinks Co delivers beverages across several categories under the Charlie’s and Phoenix Organics brands. Charlie's and Phoenix beverages are found in cafés, service stations, supermarkets and restaurants in New Zealand, Australia and in more than 12 export markets world-wide.

Website: www.betterdrinks.co.nz

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3 June 2013
BACKGROUNDER
What does ‘better’ look like?

By Craig Cotton, CEO The Better Drinks Co


Craig Cotton

What does better look like? First it’s about ensuring everything we do demonstrates commitment to our employees, customers and ultimately the consumers of our products.

It is demonstrated in the way we take ownership and personally act to ensure customers and their shoppers are put at the centre of the decisions we make.

This commitment is about being better by challenging everything and not accepting the status quo. It's about being true to the story that has shaped our 14 year-old business so far and the story we are now creating as we win, grow and have fun doing it together.

We all know teenagers aren't the best listeners and so one of our core commitments is to be a ‘better’ listener.

For us to be ‘better’ we must be committed to being better listeners and delivering better solutions via commitment and creativity. It’s not only about how we meet the needs of our customers with current products. It’s also about listening to how we can create growth through new approaches to meeting shopper needs and building joint strategies with our customers and partners via collaboration.

Creativity is simply about us challenging ourselves to think differently about how we solve opportunities for growth. We take an open mind to all opportunities and a fresh approach to how we can jointly solve these opportunities with our customers and their shoppers.

We are deliberately nimble in our processes and structure to enable us to better respond to changes, and not be restrained by big hierarchies and a lot of historical thinking. We want to be flexible.

Our size and limited resources mean we need to demonstrate commitment and creativity but every decision needs to have a strong commercial perspective. As with any teen, cash is always tight…and even though we have a parent who is successful, we want to prove we can win and grow on our own.

So the team treats every dollar as if it’s personally theirs with the idea we must chase every cent down the hallway. And we are determined to do the right thing sustainably, such as ensuring no unnecessary lights are left on during the day, computer monitors are powered down at night and we focus on limiting waste removal from the new office by not having rubbish bins under desks but having recycling stations.

That level of commitment and has also seen our business invest in seven new positions in the past six months, new additional office space in Auckland, capital investment in improving plant quality, capacity, sustainability and employee training.

So our vision is simple…we want to become Australasia’s most loved beverage company by challenging for the better and continuing to run and lead an iconic Kiwi company by a team of Kiwis who have a drive to win, grow and invest our profits back into our people, our assets and our community.

Ends.

Issued for The Better Drinks Co by Pead PR

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