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Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel
Sunday, May 13, 2001
Business Section
Fruitful undertaking
by Tom Dykin
Chicago
- A Wisconsin-based start-up hopes to secure its niche in the
crowded brewing industry with a new blueberry-flavored beer.
BluBeer,
which is marketed by Madison-based HMS WorldSupply Inc., was
introduced to Japanese consumers in March, said Runi
Hadiprajitno, one of the company's owners. She and co-owner
Thomas Moffitt said BluBeer is scheduled to make its U.S. debut
in the Madison area in August.
HMS
was passing out samples of BluBeer on Tuesday at the Food
Marketing Institute's annual convention at Chicago's McCormick
Place, where food and beverage companies introduced new products
to supermarket executives from around the world.
HMS
hopes to sell around $200,000 of BluBeer in Japan this year,
Moffitt said, but it doesn't have a projection for U.S. sales.
He said the company attended the FMI show in hopes of attracting
more attention from U.S. retailers.
The
tiny booth where HMS handed out samples of BluBeer was located
in an area sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture,
Trade and Consumer Protection that showcases Wisconsin food and
beverage companies. It was a marked contrast to the huge
exhibits operated by industry leaders Anheuser-Busch Inc. and
Miller Brewing Co.
But
BluBeer samples were snapped up by people attending the trade
show, and Moffitt said HMS has made some promising contacts.
BluBeer
was developed last year after Moffitt, a home brewer with an
affinity for fruit-flavored beers, remarked to Hadiprajitno that
a blueberry-flavored beer might be a promising product.
Hadiprajitno,
meanwhile, was hearing from Japanese friends about the huge
popularity of blueberries in Japan, where the berry is prized
for both its taste and its health benefits.
They
developed a recipe for BluBeer, hired a California specialty
brewer to produce it and then test-marketed the beer among
Japanese students attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
That led to changes in the recipe to give BluBeer a stronger
blueberry flavor.
With
their new product in hand, HMS attended a March trade show in
Japan and sold BluBeer to restaurant and nightclub owners. They
plan to sell BluBeer in the Madison area through a local beer
wholesaler.
BluBeer
is the main product for HMS. The firm was started last year as a
food exporter and importer but is now focusing more on
developing food and beverages aimed at young adults.
"After
all, that's who we are," said Moffitt, 26. Hadiprajitno is
27, and the third co-owner, Monica Sentoso, is 25.
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