For some time now KHS has been in close consultation with the Gürok Group as to whether and how the conglomerate should and could branch out into the beverage industry with its own range of mineral water – a logical consideration for one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of glass tableware and glass bottles. One of the first contacts at the Dortmund systems provider was Hakan Ulus, customer service manager for the KHS branch office in Istanbul. “Back then, we advised Gürok on lots more besides the actual technology.” Ulus had just joined KHS from Nestlé Waters, bringing his extensive expertise not just in packaging with him but also in beverages and mineral water.
Full consideration
It was quite a journey, however, before the first bottle was filled in March 2024. The decision to enter the highly competitive yet fast-growing Turkish mineral water market as a newcomer had to be given full consideration and safeguarded by extensive market research. The chief focus here was on the wants and needs of consumers. “Taste takes first place,” says Özgür Çoban, since 2020 managing director of Gürok subsidiary AVOYA specially set up for this purpose. “In a country where sweet food and beverages are very popular, consumers don’t want to drink water that tastes salty. Second place goes to trust in brand and quality, with health coming in third.”
Water with distinctive qualities
A further observation had a considerable impact on the development of the product. “You can find lots of very similar mineral water brands in Turkey,” explains Çoban. “This is why we concentrated completely on how to distinguish our new brand from others right from the start.” This began with the location of the natural springs, namely up in the mountains near Burdur about 130 kilometers north of the coastal metropolis of Antalya. “Most local mineral waters originate in other regions,” Çoban states. “What’s different about our carbonated mineral water is that it has a special mineral content: besides sodium and bicarbonate, it primarily contains magnesium and calcium and thus everything your body actually needs – without any other more or less unnecessary constituents.”
Trend towards a healthy lifestyle
The AVOYA brand is therefore positioned as a healthy product that refreshes and regenerates. The six flavored versions use only natural ingredients – from citrus fruit, apple and mint through strawberry or cherry to hibiscus, elderflower and rose petals. The water is sweetened with natural sugar – but in much lower quantities than usually found in juice and soda pop in Turkey. AVOYA refuses to use artificial sweeteners or any other chemical ingredients. “Instead of 40 to 50 calories per 100 milliliters, our beverages only have about 20. We thus promote the health of our customers without them having to compromise on taste,” the managing director smiles. His product range is therefore fully in keeping with a healthy lifestyle that's becoming more and more important to consumers.
Widespread marketing campaign
In addition to the product itself, it’s the marketing that mainly helps to distinguish the new beverage from the competition. The name “AVOYA” is a made-up word that’s been created to mean “celebrate life”, according to Çoban. The distinct logo, shape of the glass bottle, the labels and colors lend the brand its unmistakable look that attracts attention and makes for popularity – whether in nationwide TV commercials, through storytelling on, posted on billboards or with refrigerators specially designed for the POS.
Çoban considers its listing at 20,000 sales points to be a first sign of success, with the outlets including the two biggest Turkish food chains Migros and Carrefour. By the end of the year this number is to be doubled, with AVOYA aiming for 80,000 points of sale in 2025 social media channels.
Top technology from Germany
The high product demands are also met by the filling and packaging machines that process the beverages. “We see the top KHS technology we’ve chosen as part of our differentiation strategy,” Çoban claims. The heart of the non-returnable glass line is the filler Innofill Glass DRS with an output of up to 60,000 bottles per hour. The managing director is especially pleased with his Innoket Neo Flex labeler and the two Innopack Kisters SP and PSP packers that have run smoothly from the very first minute on. In addition, various KHS inspection units ensure that the filling and labeling are of a constantly high quality. The technology isn’t everything, however, stresses Çoban. “Besides the outstanding machinery, in particular the team from KHS’ branch office in Istanbul has proved convincing. Trust and flexibility are very important to us. The Turkish colleagues at KHS have practically become part of our company over the last few years.”
Ambitions for growth
This is to remain so in the future, too, for AVOYA has great plans. In the next ten years, a total of US$200 million are to be invested in the Burdur production site. Capacity is to be successively expanded to 2.5 billion bottles a year. For one thing is clear: Turkey has huge potential in the water segment – and the rapidly growing thirst for healthy products needs to be stilled.