Nestle launches nesQino in China first

Nestlé has recently launched nesQino – a smart and simple solution that enables people to personalize healthy superfood drinks made from 100% natural ingredients, at home or in the office. First launched in China, nesQino comprises a silent, digitally connected Q-cup machine, superfood sachets, and three different base sachets – smoothie, oat shake, and milkshake. (Digitally connected means that the battery-powered Q-cup blending machine connects to a smartphone app.)

Increasingly health-conscious consumers can choose one superfood sachet and one base sachet, pour the contents into the Q-cup with water and select the desired temperature – for a hot or cold beverage ready in just two minutes. The nesQino smartphone mini-program (app) allows consumers to personalize drink temperature, explore recipe combinations, access nutritional information, and interact and share recipes with friends.

The superfood sachets are made from ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, roots and microalgae. They also have probiotics to help boost overall well-being. Complementary base sachets are made from dairy milks, cereals, and plant-based ingredients.

With nesQino, consumers can make 21 different superfood drink recipes designed by creative nutritionists using different types of ingredients known to be healthy. Mayank Trivedi, head of Nestlé’s Dairy Strategic Business Unit, said, “nesQino is a personalized solution that reinvents good-for-you drinks to create wellness that fits the lives of our consumers. In all our recipes, we’ve used a selection of natural ingredients known to do you good, to create delicious customizable drinks.”

Alfred Yoakim, head of the Nestlé System Technology Centre, said, “In 18 months the team has developed a full range of products and system for nesQino. It is completely new in the Nestlé world, with all kinds of natural ingredients and superfoods. We also designed the Q-cup to blend the product perfectly and release the natural goodness of these ingredients.”

Nestlé says that nesQino ingredients use advanced flash-freezing and drying techniques, combined with patented powder technologies developed by the Nestlé R&D team. The ingredients are said to be naturally preserved with no additives, preservatives, artificial colors or flavors. Nestlé says that in China, where the solution has been first released, the packaging is recyclable, a crucial feature for digitally connected and health-conscious younger audiences.

Chinese consumers have become more health-aligned

According to GlobalData’s Covid-19 week 5 (April 21-26) survey, almost 89% of the Chinese consumers are influenced by how the product will impact their health and well-being. Nearly 39% of the consumers are buying ‘Juices & Squashes’ products more than before COVID-19, whereas about 22% of the consumers are buying other soft drinks. The research implies that health-conscious shoppers are turning to more naturally formulated, low-sugar ‘good-for-you’ beverages to improve their overall well-being.

Matthew Perry, Consumer Insights Analyst at GlobalData, says, “Nestlé’s ‘superfood’ drink in China is a prime example of how brands can combine technology and use ‘beneficial’ ingredients to enhance the health appeal of a product and bring in personalization factor. Amid Covid-19, we expect a surge in healthy living and balanced lifestyle, reshaping consumer decision-making and buying behavior across sectors over the next year.” While Perry praises Nestlé for being agile in a time of uncertainty, he adds, “It will interesting to keep a close watch on how Nestle’s competitors plan to reinvent themselves and respond to the company’s move.”