Al Ain Mineral Water Company inaugurated its new factory for the manufacture of Capri-Sun, the world’s third ranked fruit juice brand and the largest selling children’s juice drink across the world.

Al Ain Mineral Water Company is the fully owned and operated entity of Abu Dhabi-based Agthia Group and this opening comes as part of its strategic alliance with the Wild Group (Germany), for the manufacture of Capri-Sun juice for the GCC excluding Saudi Arabia.

This new alliance will enable Al Ain Mineral Water Company – owners of one of the leading bottled water brands in the UAE – to further strengthen its portfolio, joining the likes of Coca-Cola and Kraft who have been manufacturing and distributing Capri-Sun across various markets in Europe and North America.

This is an important, strategic step for the Company, which has its sight on becoming a broader beverage company with a well-rounded range of offerings,for consumers.

The new factory and its allied operations have been newly set-up in alignment with the Capri-Sun production line from Indag that has the most ultramodern production, filling and packaging equipment and machines.

'UAE in particular and the GCC in general has one of the highest per capita consumption of fruit juices in the world,' stated Ilias Assimacopoulos, chief of Agthia.

'Our vision is of becoming a leader in ‘natural’, health related  beverages and we could not have found a more suitable partner than Wild Group – the world’s largest private producer of natural ingredients for the food and beverage industry and owners of the Capri-Sun brand.'

“To do justice to the brand in the region, we were looking for a partner who recognised its potential and had the capabilities needed to elevate it to its rightful place,” added Carsten Kaisig, managing director, Wild Group.

Capri-Sun is produced in 18 countries and is enjoyed by children in more than 100 countries, selling over 5 billion pouches every year.-TradeArabia News Service