Not all beer drinkers want to grab a cold one.
Molson Coors Brewing learned this in China, where it tweaked the cold activated bottles and cans last year for Coors Light featuring images of the Rocky Mountains that turn blue when the beer is at ice cold temperatures.
Drinking cold liquids is widely seen as undesirable in China. Warmer beverages are considered healthier for digestion, an idea that also stems from the traditional habit of boiling water to make it safer to drink.
In light of this custom, “we dropped the temperature for the thermochromatic ink, and it still turns blue, but it’s not so cold,” Peter Swinburn, chief executive officer of Molson Coors, said.
The mountains on the cans and bottles turn blue at 41 to 44.6 degrees in China, while the color changes at about 39.2 degrees in the U.S.
Such attention to detail is key to Molson Coors as it pursues growth in developing markets. Rising incomes and a growing middle class are helping drive sales in countries such as India and China, where beer volume is predicted to grow 7.9 and 3.6 percent in the five years ending 2018, according to Euromonitor International. Volume is forecast to fall in the U.S. and U.K by 0.7 percent.
Molson Coors, which has dual headquarters in Denver and Montreal, began expanding in developing countries over the past four years. In addition to its recognizable brands such as Coors Light and Carling, the company has a portfolio of local beers that cater to cultural palettes. In April, Royal Brew — a whiskey flavored beer — was introduced in India, appealing to the country’s preference for hard liquor.
“We take into account local drinking habits, but brand identity will remain the same,” said Krishnan Anand, president and CEO of Molson Coors International, who points out that in contrast to China, people in many of the Caribbean island countries drink Coors Light at freezing temperatures.
The company has paid particular attention to China, where development began a decade ago. Sales in China have had a steady growth rate of 15 percent to 20 percent for the past eight years, according to Anand.
