Positive balance for Thüringer Waldquell

Thüringer Waldquell Mineralbrunnen GmbH was able to successfully hold its own last year despite difficult general conditions. A total of 123.7 million litres of soft drinks were sold under the Thüringer Waldquell, Rennsteig and VITA COLA brands in 2022, 1.5 percent more than in 2021 (121.9 million litres). This was a significantly better result than the national market for non-alcoholic beverages, which lost 0.8 per cent according to the IRi market research institute. The Schmalkalden-based company remains Thuringia's brand market leader in non-alcoholic beverages. "In view of high inflation and growing consumer restraint, we can be proud of this result. It is a real team effort by our 150-strong team," says Thüringer Waldquell Managing Director Thomas Heß. The good summer and the gradual return to normal life in out-of-home consumption gave sales an additional tailwind. "However, this positive balance is affected by increased costs for energy, raw materials and transport," says Thomas Heß.

Mineral water remains an important mainstay
Once again, mineral waters prove to be an important guarantor of the company's success. Thüringer Waldquell remains the most popular mineral water in Thuringia. "Thuringians appreciate the best mineral water quality from the depths of the Thuringian Forest," comments Thomas Heß. Last year, too, the Medium variety was the most popular with consumers. In terms of sustainability, the people of Schmalkalden traditionally rely on returnable bottles. Around three quarters of Thüringer Waldquell beverages are filled in environmentally friendly glass or PET returnable bottles and then delivered to regional retailers in a climate-friendly manner over short transport distances of no more than 170 kilometres.

Thüringer Waldquell invests in modern returnable glass bottles
From 1 April this year, all mineral waters and selected soft drinks of the Thüringer Waldquell brand will be offered in new 0.75 L returnable glass bottles. "We are saying goodbye to the good old pearl bottle and switching to the attractive new pool bottles from Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen eG," says Thomas Heß. The new bottles can also be refilled up to 50 times.

VITA COLA in great demand
The managing director also reports a plus for the VITA COLA brand: "We were again better than the market. VITA COLA and VITA LIMO remain the number one in Thuringia, and here too the company invested in environmentally friendly glass bottles. In addition to the already very successful 0.33 L glass bottles, VITA COLA has recently been available in a modern, brand-typical 0.75 L bottle in a practical 8-bottle crate.

Outlook 2023
The current year will definitely not be easy. Continued high energy and transport costs as well as significantly higher raw material prices, especially for sugar, mean higher corporate costs. This cannot be fully compensated for by increased sales and efficiency measures, so price adjustments were unavoidable.

On the other hand, consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive. The Schmalkalden-based company wants to hold its own in the market even under these conditions and has positioned its strong regional brands well for this purpose. According to the market research institute YouGov, more than 84 percent of Thuringians know VITA COLA and Thüringer Waldquell. The beverage portfolio is broad, so that it is possible to react flexibly to changing market requirements, even at short notice. "Through the important investments in modern glass containers, we will continue to secure our competitiveness in the future and ultimately our company's success," Thomas Heß explains.

Sustainability still in focus
Regardless of the current economic challenges, Thüringer Waldquell intends to continue its commitment to the region and the protection of the Thuringian Forest. At the 50th Rennsteiglauf, Thüringer Waldquell will once again be on site as a beverage partner. As in previous years, the company will donate trees for the Thuringian Forest as the name giver of the Thüringer Waldquell Nordic Walking Tour. Since 2006, the company has been regularly donating trees for the reforestation of the local nature.