Suntory Oceania Launched to Ignite Local ANZ Multi-Beverage Sector
Suntory Oceania Launched to Ignite Local ANZ Multi-Beverage Sector
Suntory to bring together strength of non-alcohol and premium spirits businesses to drive synergies and create jobs in Australia & New Zealand
3 August 2023: Beam Suntory and Frucor Suntory announce Suntory Oceania, a new AU$3B multibeverage partnership across the premium spirits and non-alcohol segments in both Australia and New Zealand.
Under the Suntory Oceania umbrella, Beam Suntory and Frucor Suntory together will create the fourth-largest ANZ beverage group in Oceania with full end-to-end control of its portfolio, including manufacturing, sales, and distribution. Preparation will start now to ensure the partnership is operational for mid-2025 in Australia and 2026 in New Zealand.
Suntory Oceania’s 40 market-leading brands will include Jim Beam® and Maker's Mark® Bourbon,
Hibiki® Japanese Whisky, Canadian Club® Whisky, -196, V Energy, Maximus, Suntory BOSS Coffee among many more, and spans premium spirits, RTD (ready-to-drink) alcohol beverages, juice, water, soft drinks, coffee, energy and sports drinks.
Frucor Suntory CEO, Darren Fullerton said, “This new venture is all about bringing the best of Suntory to Oceania. With the ability to accelerate our growth trajectory, we strongly believe it will redefine market dynamics and offer more consumer beverage moments from sunrise to sunset, unlocking innovation for our customers across retail and hospitality industries.”
Mark Hill, Managing Director of Beam Suntory Oceania, commented, “This collaboration demonstrates our belief in the growth potential of the Australian and New Zealand markets. When other businesses are pulling back, we are forging ahead, bringing Suntory’s spirit of bold ambition to life.”
The largest single FMCG investment in Australia in over a decade, the construction of a new AU$400M, net zero facility in Ipswich, Queensland, will be the catalyst for Suntory’s growth ambitions.
Complementing current manufacturing operations in Auckland, the new Queensland site will become home to additional beverage processing, packaging, warehousing, and distribution. The new facility is on track to be operational in mid-2024 with the ability to produce 20 million cases on start-up and over 50 million cases in the future.
Fullerton added, “At Suntory, we are proud of our nearly 125-year-old focus on Growing for Good. The new site sets the industry standard in terms of investment into sustainable technologies to drive efficiency and minimise our carbon footprint. We are looking at a multi-pronged strategy through a CleanCo solar power purchase agreement, over 14km of solar panels on site, biomass boiler and state-of-the-art production equipment.”
Growing for Good also means fuelling the economy, with Suntory expanding the current workforce and hiring over 400 roles as the partnership comes to life from mid-2025.
“We are immensely grateful for our long and successful relationship with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, which will continue through to 2025,” Hill said. “With Suntory Oceania, we are looking to the future with optimism and a wholly owned platform from which to build the long-term growth of our brands for years to come. It is the perfect opportunity for us to build upon the strength of Suntory as the global leader across the beverage sector.”
Further work to establish the partnership will occur over the coming year with each partner, Beam Suntory and Frucor Suntory, retaining its own distinct legal entity.
ENDS
Please contact media@suntoryoceania.com with any further queries
Notes to Editor
About Suntory Holdings
As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products, from premium spirits, beer, wine, ready-to-drink alcohol beverages, to brewed teas, bottled water, still and carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-drink coffee and energy drinks, along with health and wellness products. Suntory is home to award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu, as well as iconic American spirits Jim Beam and Maker's Mark. Suntory also fascinates the taste buds with The Premium Malt's beer, and owns the exceptional Japanese wine, Tomi, and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection includes Sauza Tequila, non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Ribena, BOSS coffee, Iyemon green tea, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, V and BRAND’S, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of US$20.2 billion in 2022. Its 40,885 employees worldwide draw upon the unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
As a corporation sustained by the gifts of nature and water, Suntory Group will always protect the ecosystems that deliver water because its ecosystem is the wellspring – not only of its business and the rich experiences the group creates for people's lives, but also of human life itself.
Suntory Group will continue to be a company where everyone is empowered with the freedom and flexibility to innovate. Through all its corporate pursuits, Suntory seeks to inspire the brilliance of life.
Learn more about Suntory Group, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility and sustainability at https://www.suntory.com/, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About Beam Suntory
As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires the brilliance of life by delivering great consumer experiences through its world-class portfolio of brands. Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam®, Maker’s Mark®, Basil Hayden® and Knob Creek® bourbons; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Teacher’s, Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Beam Suntory also produces leading brands such as Courvoisier® cognac, Tres Generaciones®, El Tesoro® and Hornitos® tequila, Roku™ and Sipsmith® gin, Canadian Club® whisky, and is a world leader in ready-to-drink cocktails, with brands like -196 and On The Rocks® Premium Cocktails.
A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 30 countries, one of Beam Suntory’s core values is Growing for Good and through its Proof Positive sustainability strategy, the company has committed to ambitious goals and investments to promote environmental sustainability in its operations, ensure the company has a positive impact on the communities where employees live and work, and programs to educate and inform consumers to make the right personal choices about drinking. Headquartered in New York City, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit https://www.beamsuntory.com/ and https://www.drinksmart.com/.
About Frucor Suntory
Frucor Suntory is a leading drinks company in Oceania and the market leader in energy drinks across Australia and New Zealand.
Part of global food and beverage business, Suntory Beverage and Food Limited. (SBF) which operates across Japan, Asia Pacific, Europe and Americas regional markets, and is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange.
Frucor Suntory has a rich 60-year history, growing from a juice company formed by the Apple and Pear Board to a trans-Tasman beverage leader, known for its iconic range of drinks including V Energy and Suntory BOSS Coffee.
The business is currently going through an exciting period of growth powered by the upcoming greenfield production and distribution facility that is currently under construction in Swanbank, Queensland Australia. The new facility will complement current New Zealand operations and is expected to open mid-2024.
Frucor Suntory employs a diverse team of over 1,000 people across Australia and New Zealand. Committed to Suntory’s vision of Growing for Good, at every opportunity the team aims to work in harmony with people and nature across our operations and community programs.
For more information on Frucor Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit frucorsuntory.com.