Beauty you can drink

The product is part of M*U Beverage, a new MUO business venture with more product lines on the way, Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, CEO of JKN Global Group and owner of the Miss Universe Organisation, said at a news conference on Monday.

She claimed that M*U mineral water is one of the purest natural water sourced from Iceland and is targeting die-hard MOU fans across the world and upper-middle-class consumers who care about their health.

"To sustain this beauty pageant olympics, we cannot survive solely on the organisation of the pageant and ticket sales. We need more market engagement," she said, adding that the new line of business has been part of her plan since she decided to purchase the MUO last year. She referred to MUO's three Ps of strategic growth as Pageant, Platform, and Product.

While the platform is intended as a channel for all Miss Universe contents, which are largely about enhancing self-esteem, such as health and beauty, travel, food, lifestyle, and money, the products will be as diverse as personal care items and nutritious food and beverages.

“The Miss Universe brand is a universal brand, which is constantly evolving through creative imagination. M*U Beverage is the first Miss Universe branded product line that reiterates our original values: empowering women to realise their ambitions and build their self-confidence as a catalyst for future success,” Anne Jakapong said.

She explained that the beverage is an appropriate initial first product because JKN, her other company, already owns a beverage facility in Prachinburi, Thailand.

All M*U Beverage products are made locally, with a production capacity of 9 million bottles, and can be readily scaled as the company grows, she said, adding that 80% of the product is meant for export while the remaining 20% is for domestic distribution.

In addition to the alkaline mineral water, the brand has released M*U functional beverages in five flavours.

Melissa Techavasi, managing director of JKN Drink, is optimistic about the healthy beverage's potential success in Thailand and around the world, pointing out that the value of Thailand's drinking water market in April 2023 was estimated at more than 1.378 billion baht and was expected to increase by 5.28% a year between 2023 and 2027.

Meanwhile, the worldwide water market is currently valued at approximately $US 225 billion, with a projected value of $1 trillion by 2030.

Thailand was the 11th largest market for functional beverages in 2020, at 47.8 billion baht, and the third largest in Southeast Asia after the Philippines and Indonesia.

According to Euromonitor, the Thai functional drink market is predicted to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4% in retail value and 1% in retail volume from 2021 to 2025, reaching 52.4 billion baht and 724,000 tonnes in 2025.

Orders for the M*U water have already come in from 15 nations, including Australia, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom,” Anne Jakapong said.

She expects the product to generate roughly 800 million baht in its first year of operation, with double-digit growth each year thereafter, and to reach more than 100 countries globally within five years.

Miss Universe already has 96 national partners worldwide, so she believes it will not be that difficult to reach 100 nations as targeted.

NØR will be available in Thailand around October, and internationally in early 2024, with the promise of being reasonable in price but not cheap.

M*U Beverage will make its debut at international F&B trade fairs and events around the world during this time, including Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Dubai, and the US.

MUO's next products will include sparkling water and skincare, said Anne Jakpong, adding that the brand ambassador will be Miss Universe.