Mineral water brand uses KHS technology

With its beverage brand AVOYA, Turkish company Gürok is branching out into a new market, using KHS technology.

KHS was in close consultation with the Gürok Group as to whether and how the glass company could enter into the beverage industry with its own range of mineral water.

“Back then, we advised Gürok on lots more besides the actual technology,” said Hakan Ulus, customer service manager for the KHS branch office in Istanbul.

Ulus had joined KHS from Nestlé Waters, bringing his expertise not just in packaging but also in beverages and mineral water. After careful consideration and extensive market research, the first bottle for AVOYA was filled in March 2024.

“Taste takes first place,” said Özgür Çoban, managing director of Gürok subsidiary AVOYA. “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.

“You can find lots of very similar mineral water brands in Turkey. 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 km north of the coastal metropolis of Antalya.

“Most local mineral waters originate in other regions,” Çoban said. “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.”

The six flavoured versions of AVOYA 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 — in lower quantities usually found in juice and soda pop in Turkey. AVOYA chooses not to use artificial sweeteners or any other chemical ingredients.

“Instead of 40 to 50 calories per 100 ml, our beverages only have about 20. We thus promote the health of our customers without them having to compromise on taste,” Çoban said.

In addition to the product, the marketing was created to help distinguish the new beverage from the competition. The name ‘AVOYA’ was created to mean “celebrate life”.

Çoban considers its listing at 20,000 sales points to be a first sign of success, including Turkish food chains Migros and Carrefour. By the end of the year this number is planned to double, with AVOYA aiming for 80,000 points of sale in 2025 social media channels.

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 said.

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. Çoban is also pleased with the Innoket Neo Flex labeller and the two Innopack Kisters SP and PSP packers that have run smoothly.

The Innofill Glass DRS filler forms the heart of the line. In the background is the filler carousel, with a crowner and a screw capper front left in the photo. Source: Frank Reinhold

In addition, various KHS inspection units ensure that the filling and labelling are of a consistent high quality.

In the next 10 years, a total of US$200 million is to be invested in the Burdur production site. The capacity is to be expanded to 2.5 billion bottles a year.

Top image caption: Included in the AVOYA mineral water range: a pure mineral water (left) and three of the six flavoured product variants. Source: Frank Reinhold