Scotland-headquartered A.G. Barr has been advertising, promoting and distributing Rio on an unique licence foundation through its Enhance Drinks division since 2021 (Enhance Drinks was acquired by A.G. Barr final yr).
It has now acquired the Rio model from Corridor and Woodhouse Restricted, an unbiased brewer and pub firm, for £12.3m ($15m).
Rio is a ‘scrumptious mix of 11% actual fruit and juice (orange, guava, apricot, mango and passionfruit) in frivolously glowing water’. The drink is gluten-free, dairy-free and appropriate for vegetarians and vegans.
The model was lately reformulated from 10g sugar per 100ml to underneath 4.5g per 100ml, bringing it in underneath the edge of the UK’s sugar tax (Mushy Drinks Trade Levy). It additionally provides a no added sugar model with 17 energy per 330ml can.
Rio joins A.G. Barr’s portfolio of well-known UK manufacturers equivalent to IRN-BRU, Rubicon, FUNKIN and Enhance. In December the corporate additionally gained full possession of MOMA Meals, a barista-focused oat drink model.
“With a model constructing enterprise mannequin, and following the Enhance acquisition, now we have moved rapidly to safe the long-term place of the Rio model inside our wider portfolio,” says A.G. Barr.
“Whereas an vital contributor to the beforehand introduced ongoing margin rebuild program, the transaction isn’t anticipated to have a fabric influence on the Group’s income for the present monetary yr ending 28 January 2024.”
