Ajegroup

Ajegroup began in the late 1980s by the Añaños family in Ayacucho, Peru during the Peru's military and terrorist conflict. This situation did not allow many vehicles to access the area where the family lived and many traditional soft drink brands were not available to the customers in the area. The Añaños family saw this as a business opportunity and they developed Kola Real by using typical kitchen equipment and using recycled beer bottles. They first sold their drink products to their neighbors, local people, and soon the demand grew quickly and they began a leading soft drink company. Ajegroup eventually expanded to countries other than Peru. They have businesses in Venezuela, Ecuador, Central America, Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, Nigeria, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. Ajegroup's main competitors are big companies such as The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo.:es:Big Cola{{Circular reference|date=February 2019}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.fdqmagazine.com/english/article_view.asp?ArticleID=263 |title=FDQ: Food & drink quarterly - Articles |access-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123012007/http://www.fdqmagazine.com/english/article_view.asp?ArticleID=263 |archive-date=23 January 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}

Ajegroup employs certain strategies to help maintain its low cost economic plan. Ajegroup has bottling plants in Huejotzingo, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. The largest of the plants is in Huejotzingo, where production lines run for 24 hours a day, six days a week. Ajegroup therefore produces its own plastic bottles, which provides a low-cost alternative to glass returnable bottles and has helped brands like Big Cola compete with bigger names like Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

Ajegroup also utilizes lean staffing to cut costs, and modern equipment and kaizen, or continuous improvement, to help reduce the number of workers on each of the Huejotzingo plant's seven production lines to eight, which is fewer than half that of a typical bottling facility.

Ajegroup also gives deliveries to independent truckers rather than employing their own fleet of trucks and drivers, saving money on distribution. This, in addition to their minimal advertising technique, further reduces its costs. Ajegroup has had few television and billboard ads, and primarily relies on word of mouth to find customers.{{Cite web |last=Dickerson |first=Marla |date=28 December 2005 |title=In Mexico, Taking Fizz Out of the Cola Giants |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2005/dec/28/business/fi-bigcola28/2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015184755/http://articles.latimes.com/2005/dec/28/business/fi-bigcola28/2 |archive-date=15 October 2014 |website=Los Angeles Times}}

After 19 years of business AJE finally entered the market in Lima in 1999 by employing a low price strategy, keeping all products approximately 25% cheaper than competitors.{{Cite news|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/marketing-lessons-for-coke-from-perus-big-cola-3524|title=Marketing Lessons for Coke from Peru's Big Cola|date=2014-08-20|work=INSEAD Knowledge|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en}}

The first expansion outside of Peru was into Venezuela, followed by Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and then Brazil.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/462d0582-0577-11e1-8eaa-00144feabdc0|title=AJE – taking on bigger rivals {{!}} Financial Times|last=|first=|date=2011-11-07|work=Financial Times|access-date=}}

In 2007, Ajegroup entered the alcohol market. It launched its beer business in Peru, later expanding to Mexico and Colombia.{{Cite news|url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/thailand-beverage-expansion|title=Thailand: Beverage expansion|date=2012-10-23|work=Oxford Business Group|access-date=2018-09-27}}

In 2011, Ajegroup took out their first bond, worth 200 million US dollars to finance future growth.[http://store.businessmonitor.com/article/456450 Business Monitor] {{dead link|date=June 2023}}

Ajegroup entered the Asian market in 2006{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/dd0e0c00-0cf2-11e4-bf1e-00144feabdc0|title=Peruvian upstart AJE takes on Coke and Pepsi in Asia {{!}} Financial Times|last=|first=|date=2017-07-21|work=Financial Times|access-date=}} beginning with Thailand, which remains the center of Asian operations with Soren Lauridsen as Ajegroup's regional director for Asia and managing director of Aje Thailand since 2016.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Maker-of-Big-Cola-makes-Thailand-its-Asia-centre-30281282.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311112901/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Maker-of-Big-Cola-makes-Thailand-its-Asia-centre-30281282.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 March 2016|title=Maker of Big Cola makes Thailand its Asia centre - The Nation|work=The Nation|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en}}

Ajegroup officially launched its flagship no-caffeine cola brand, Big Cola as a soft launch in December 2010 in Mumbai, India. They strategically made ties with the release of the Sony Pictures movie, 'The Amazing Spider-Man', in theaters. Big Cola launched limited editions of The Amazing Spider-Man bottles in three flavors until August 2012. According to Sorin Voinea, Director of Marketing (Asia Pacific), Ajegroup doesn't have intentions of necessarily competing with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, but more so, to follow their accomplishments. Big Cola is not only differentiating themselves through alternative methods of endorsement but also with being caffeine-free and having lower prices. While some are skeptical that Big Cola will stand out, Ajegroup's Sorin Voinea believes that their product has enough of its own identity to be successful in the Indian soft drink market.

Devendra Chawla, president of the food & fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), says that the response to the brand has been good at Big Bazaar. “It is available at Big Bazaar in Mumbai and has done pretty well."{{Cite web|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-15/news/32254646_1_cola-brands-coke-and-pepsi-cola-giants|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704182217/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-15/news/32254646_1_cola-brands-coke-and-pepsi-cola-giants|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 July 2013|title = Business News Today: Read Latest Business news, India Business News Live, Share Market & Economy News}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/can-big-cola-liveto-its-name/481122/|title = Can Big Cola live up to its name?|newspaper = Business Standard India|date = 23 July 2012|last1 = Pinto|first1 = Viveat Susan}}

Part of Ajegroup's success in countries like Thailand and Indonesia is due to the exclusive licensing agreement between the company and the English Football Association to promote in six countries across Asia (India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia) for 2 years.

In 2015 Ajegroup started expansion into Africa via Nigerian subsidiary AJEast Nigeria Limited led by Theo Williams, Country Manager Ajegroup.{{Cite news|url=http://beverageindustrynews.com.ng/index.php/2015/11/05/is-indonesia-a-market-template-for-aje-group-in-nigeria/|title=Is Indonesia a market template for AJE Group in Nigeria?|date=2015-11-05|work=Beverage Industry News (NG)|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en-US}} Despite strong opposition from entrenched brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the initial capital investment into Nigeria was around N5 billion.{{Cite news|url=http://venturesafrica.com/is-the-new-aje-groups-big-cola-drink-a-worthy-opponent-for-coca-cola-in-nigeria/|title=Is the new AJE group's Big Cola drink a worthy opponent for Coca-Cola in Nigeria? - Ventures Africa|date=2015-10-07|work=Ventures Africa|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en-US}}

In 2018 Duet Private Equity Limited announced a $50 million investment in AJEast.{{Cite news|url=https://guardian.ng/business-services/duet-invests-50million-in-ajeast-nigeria/|title=Duet invests $50million in AJEAST Nigeria|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en-US}} The investment led by Henry Gabay, CIO at Duet, is earmarked for expansion into additional African countries and increased market share in middle-income households in Nigeria and select West African markets.{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2018/08/07/nigerian-beverage-company-ajeast-raises-50-million/#7a2c32202d94|title=Nigerian Beverage Company AJEast Raises $50 Million|last=Nsehe|first=Mfonobong|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=http://venturesafrica.com/233429-2/|title=AJEAST Nigeria Limited receives a boost with $50 million investment from UK firm duet - Ventures Africa|date=2018-08-08|work=Ventures Africa|access-date=2018-09-27|language=en-US}}

• BIG Cola
• SAGEER, India
• Kola Real
• Agua Cielo – Peruvian brand of bottled water owned by the Ajegroup and sold in Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ajegroup.com/web/ajegroup/product_cielo.jsp |title=Ajegroup Cielo product information |access-date=12 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310130407/http://www.ajegroup.com/web/ajegroup/product_cielo.jsp |archive-date=10 March 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}} Cielo is sold in glass bottles of 400 ml and PET bottles of 625 ml, 2-litre, 2.5-litre and 7-litre.
• Free World
• Free World Light
• Pulp
• Oro
• Cifrut
• First
• Sporade
• Citrus Punch
• Free Tea
• Cerveza Franca
• Cerveza Caral – Peruvian brand of beer owned by AJE. It's the company's second brand on the beer market after Franca.El Comercio Peru. [http://www.elcomercio.com.pe/edicionimpresa/Html/2008-03-04/caral-nombre-segunda-cerveza-familia-ananos.html Caral es el nombre de la segunda cerveza de la familia Añaños]. Retrieved on 25 May 2008
• Club Especial
• INDIA*India
• AJEPER Peru
• AJEVEN Venezuela
• AJETHAI Thailand
• AJEBRAS Brazil
• AJECUADOR Ecuador
• AJECEN Costa Rica
• AJEMEX Mexico
• AJEMAYA Guatemala
• Cool Drink Colombia
• Volt - Peruvian brand of energy drinks. Includes Volt Ginseng, Volt Maca, Volt Focus, Volt Green, Volt Coca, and Volt Agave.{{Cite web |title=VOLT |url=https://www.ajegroup.com/en/marca/volt/ |website=Aje Group}}

{{Portal|Companies|Drink|Peru}}

• List of beverage companies of Peru

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.ajegroup.com}} {{in lang|es}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060109181821/http://www.corante.com/goingglobal/archives/2003/11/01/kola_real_takes_on_cocacola.php Kola Real Takes on Coca-Cola]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081007085516/http://www.logisticstoday.com/sNO/6366/iID/20876/LT/displayStory.asp In Mexico, Big Cola is the real thing ]
• [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/8189 Peru's Franca beer invests $6 million in the U.S. and Europe]
• [http://www.livinginperu.com/news/13540 Peru’s Ajegroup to start operations in Brazil and India]

{{Brands of Ajegroup}}

{{Beers of Peru}}

Category:Beer in Peru

Category:Companies based in Lima

Category:Multinational companies

Category:Drink companies of Peru

Category:Food and drink companies established in 1988

Category:Peruvian companies established in 1988

Category:1988 establishments in Peru

Category:Privately held companies of Peru