Health conscious consumers boosting Thai beverage maker Osotspa’ sales amid pandemic

BANGKOK, NNA - Thailand’s major beverage maker, Osotspa Public Co. is seeing more demand for functional drink products from health-conscious consumers amid the new coronavirus outbreak.

Osotspa, the manufacturer of Thailand’s first energy drink Lipo, saw 26.2 percent growth in functional drinks sales to 4.6-billion-baht ($144 million) in the first three months of this year.

The total revenue in the first quarter increased 5 percent to 6.69 billion baht compared to the same quarter of last year, mainly driven by strong sales of C-Vitt vitamin c drink, M-150 energy drink, personal care goods under Babi Mild brand, and international sales, the company said last week.

C-Vitt, the principal contribution to sales growth, gained 37.1 percent, while energy drinks gained 1.2 percent, according to its financial statement released on May 14.

With better sales performance, it reported a 4.2 percent rise year-on-year in net profit of 926 million baht in the January-March period.

The rising demand for vitamin c products resulted from an increasing awareness of health among Thai people, said the company. Doctors and health experts have also encouraged the daily intake of vitamin c drinks to enhance the immune system amid the rapid increase of coronavirus patients in Thailand.

International sales in four neighboring countries -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam -- grew by 4.1 percent on year in the first quarter. Those in other regions also increased by 17.2 percent, buoyed by growth in the Middle East.

The company revealed a plan of opening new beverage filling lines in the second half of 2020. The lines will boost C-Vitt distribution volume by 10 to 15 percent.