According to information released by the Vietnam Beer – Alcohol – Beverage Association (VBA) at the seminar “Market Trends, Beverage Technology in Vietnam in the Future” early April, the global beverage and beverage technology industry is growing rapidly due to rising incomes, changing lifestyles, post-pandemic consumption habits, and advancements in science and technology.
In Vietnam, with a population of over 100 million, of which about 25% are between the ages of 16-30, Vietnam has great potential and opportunities to develop the beverage market. The revenue of the beverage industry in our country is expected to reach 7.1 billion USD by 2026 with an expected import turnover of 267 million USD.
VBA said that consumers are now tending to spend more on healthy, naturally sourced beverages with nutritional value to protect their health and the environment. Therefore, besides the great opportunity to serve a market of hundreds of millions of people, this industry is also facing increasing demands from the community for sustainability.
Behind GEA’s success story
Established in 1881, GEA Procomac (GEA Group – Germany) is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and equipment for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. In 2023, the Group’s revenue reached 5.37 billion Euros.
By focusing on advanced and comprehensive technology, GEA is consistent with the orientation of “providing sustainable solutions for the nutrition and food industry to protect future generations”.
GEA’s Aseptic filling technology is considered an invention of the 21st century, standing out with its absolute aseptic and environmentally friendly characteristics. The breakthrough of Aseptic filling technology is that the product solution is not only sterilized by UHT, but at the filling and capping stage, the aseptic characteristic is also ensured through sterile bottles, sterile caps, sterile water, sterile products, and sterile filling environment.
Mr. Massimo Nascimbeni – GEA’s Product Director for Blow Molding and Filling shares about Aseptic filling technology
With the ability to produce continuously for 216 hours under aseptic conditions, GEA’s line can reach a capacity of up to 70,000 product bottles per hour. Notably, there are no bottle complaints from the market. It can be said that Aseptic filling technology is changing the food and beverage manufacturing industry.
This breakthrough has helped the 143-year-old Group become one of the world’s leading companies in aseptic filling technology with over 230 aseptic lines installed globally.
“Handshake” to go far
Recognizing the potential of the hundred-million-strong market, in 2007, GEA officially entered Vietnam through a “handshake” with Tan Hiep Phat – a “big player” in the Vietnamese beverage and beverage industry. This is also the pioneer enterprise to introduce aseptic technology from the beginning of production and continue the journey towards sustainability.
To date, not only is Tan Hiep Phat GEA’s largest partner in Vietnam, but it is also the largest customer using GEA’s aseptic filling line in Southeast Asia. Aseptic filling technology helps reduce the amount of plastic used compared to other technologies such as hot filling. Thanks to that, GEA and Tan Hiep Phat have worked together to reduce the bottle weight by 50%, from 27g to 13.5g. This means that when the amount of plastic is reduced, the impact on the environment will be minimized.
Currently, Tan Hiep Phat owns 10 Aseptic filling technology system lines provided by GEA with a total value of up to 300 million USD, providing an output of 100 million product crates per year. National brand products popular throughout Vietnam such as Dr Thanh Heat-clearing Tea, Zero Green Tea, or Number 1 Energy Drink are produced on these lines.
Tan Hiep Phat owns 10 Aseptic filling technology system lines provided by GEA
Ensuring international standard quality not only helps Tan Hiep Phat’s products conquer increasingly “demanding” consumers in Vietnam, but also helps products overcome many barriers in terms of technology, quality standards, and strict origin of goods to enter the global market by exporting to more than 20 markets, including the most demanding markets such as the US, UK, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, etc.
The cooperation between GEA and Tan Hiep Phat is a testament to the saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”. Businesses in the beverage industry are joining hands to develop sustainably, serving consumers best.
In the future, the strategy of the Group from Germany is to further consolidate the enterprise’s position in the Vietnamese market, including mutually beneficial business cooperation with Tan Hiep Phat through advanced technologies.
