Drinks Galore
By Samara Kameneka

Carrefour and Dia both help shoppers warm up on cold nights by offering hot chocolate mixes.

From soda to juice to energy drinks, Spain offers shoppers every kind of drink that they can imagine.

Spain: where the sun constantly shines, where the temperatures continue to rise and where, in the south, sometimes it gets too hot to even come out of your house. And you know what all that heat creates? 40 million thirsty people.

Luckily there’s no shortage of beverages on the Iberian Peninsula. And while people may think that the only thing Spaniards drink is sangria, they are sorely mistaken.

A trend that is currently catering to the people’s thirst and slowing showing up in supermarkets across the country is more health-conscious drinks. Today the same old beverages have reinvented themselves and have come back better and more wholesome than ever. The PLs in Dia, Carrefour and El Corte Ingles are testament to that fact.

Pop, Every Way You Like It

PL sodas abound on the shelves. Carrefour’s answer to the Coca Cola craze is called “Gold,” and it not only comes in 33 cL cans (0.16 euros each) but also in 2L plastic bottles (just 0.49 euros). Its gold lettering set off against the red background is eye-catching, and the store’s cola products conveniently stake out the entire second shelf from the top, making it an easy choice for consumers. Gold is also available in lemon and lime flavors (0.21 euros per can) which have similar green and yellow designs. However, what’s most interesting about these products is that they are available with or without gas, with or without caffeine and also in a diet version called “light”. The lemon and lime versions also claim to contain 6% juice. Carrefour has done a good job covering a wide range of the product’s permutations.

Día has gone a similar route, offering a wide range of its own line of soda products. The classic “Original Cola” (0.16 euros for 33 cl), like Carrefour, comes in an eye-catching red can with white, script horizontal lettering across the front. This product is likewise available in a diet version, and without caffeine.

Juices, Juices Everywhere

Juice, meanwhile, has an extensive repertoire among the private label brands. At El Corte Inglés, there are two entire shelves dedicated to PL products, and flavors range from vegetable and grapefruit to tomato and orange. The store’s products are available in 1L glass bottles which sell at 1.02 euros and come in colorful packaging. The label includes the store’s logo, a green and white triangular flag, and an attractive photo of the fruit or vegetable starring in the juice.

If the consumer does not want to go the bottle route he or she can pick up juice in a box. The same flavors are available in 1 L tetra paks with similar packaging and for the price of 0.69 euros. These products go the healthy route as the label notes that not only are they made from concentrate but they are also enriched with vitamin C. This information is available on the package in Spanish and English. Juice packs of three are also available, smaller versions of the tetra paks and with the same attention called to their healthy characteristics (33 cL each and 0.99 euros for the pack of three). Furthermore, the shelf where all of the PL juices are located is labelled with yellow signs that proclaim: Quality Guaranteed.

Carrefour also has a healthy focus on its juice products. The store offers a wide range of flavors which include pineapple, apple and tropical fruit. The packaging emphasises “Natural” products which are “Rich in vitamin C” and “Made from concentrate.” While the 1L tetra paks sell for between 1.46 and 1.56 euros, there are also packs of three juices (which come in small 33 cL cartons and sell for anywhere between 0.50 euros and 0.80 euros), one of which is Mediterranean juice with milk. This product boasts, on its label, that not only does it have vitamins A, C and E, it is also fat free, it affords energy and it has fiber. Who can say no to that juice? Meanwhile, a pack of six 20 cL cartons of peach juice comes in a diet version and the label maintains that it’s made from concentrate and has no added sugar. These sell for 1.25 euros.

As if that wasn’t enough, the PL also offers a small but growing section of eco-juices in its “Carrefour eco” section. For just 0.91 euros, consumers can buy 750 mL of squeezed apple juice (among other kinds) made from approximately 1 kilogram of ecologically cultivated apples. These products are sold in tall, glass bottles which have the official ecological agricultural seal, and the back of the label mentions the store’s commitment to items of this type.

While thus far Día doesn’t have an ecological section, like the other PL brands it does offer a wide range of choices, many of them healthy. One such juice is called “Life” and it comes in various flavors including peach, grape and orange. These juices boast their vitamin C and A content at the top of the box and they contain soy as well. Just above the photo of a peach the box reads: “The best of the fruit and the benefits of soy.” These types of drinks are a growing site on the shelves of Día. This particular 1L box sells for 0.84 euros. The store also offers a new line of juices in tall plastic bottles. One offer is pineapple and coconut and costs 0.89 euros. Again the healthy theme is visible here as the label claims that it is “Low in fat” and that it has “No preservatives or artificial coloring.” There is also a variety of juices which have “No added sugar” and “zero fat.”

Little Can, Big Kick

If all those vitamins and fibre don’t give consumers the boost they’re looking for, then PL energy drinks are the answer. All three stores offer their own similar versions. The appropriate dose appears to be just 250 mL as they all come in the same size can, and all boast a similar silver, flashy design. Día’s drink, which features a figure jumping, is just 0.39 euros and has the typical store logo along the bottom: a red stripe with the store name in white and a percent sign. Meanwhile the El Corte Inglés brand, selling for 0.69 euros, is quite catchy in blue and black with the outline of an airplane and its signature green and white flag in the middle of the can. Carrefour’s product, on the other hand, is not labelled at all as the store brand product, and costs 0.44 euros. And while all three say that they contain taurine, Carrefour’s PL beverage not only comes in a diet version but it also has caffeine and vitamins–B3, B5, B6 and B12. That’s a lot packed in a little can!

A New Spin on an Old Classic

Hot chocolate beverages follow along the same lines as the other drinks. Carrefour offers several different sizes. A 600-gram plastic canister of cocoa mix, simply called “Cacao +,” comes in a yellow container with a picture of milk being poured into a glass and a spoonful of cocoa powder. This product grabs the attention of the consumer, with the big square just below the Carrefour logo, which says “With 7 vitamins.” Then, in a range of colors, the vitamins are identified: C, E, B6, B1, B5, folic acid and niacin are in this product, which costs just 2 euros.

Día also offers its own PL hot chocolate. It also comes in a yellow canister with a brown lid and has a photo of a glass of hot chocolate and a family harvesting cocoa in the background.

A New Tea Party

Considering Spain is a country of coffee-drinkers, consumers can easily find a wide selection of herbal teas. Carrefour offers at least six different varieties, some of which include lime blossom, chamomile, mint and red tea. They all come in boxes of 36 bags and are priced at 0.60 euros each.

El Corte Inglés also has a nice selection of teas, which include white, red, green and mint, among others. They cost 1.45 euros for a box of 20 bags, and the boxes are rather elaborate, with the bottom half each in a different color and the top half with an intricate design in cream and black.  

Doing a Body Good

Whole, low fat and skim milk is a familiar site in any supermarket. While 1L of whole milk at Día costs 0.64 euros and comes in a simple white tetra pak, Carrefour offers a series of options under its Carrefour label and its second brand, called “1.” While the Carrefour brand costs 0.69 euros and comes in an attractive red and white box with a picture of cows on a farm, it’s “ 1” brand costs 0.51 euros. These products, located on shelves which indicate that it’s “The lowest price!” come in red boxes and have an orange image of milk being poured from a pitcher.

On a lower shelf, just about eye level for children is the PL milk for kids. Its label reads “Milk for energy and growing” and contains 10 different vitamins in the 1L package (sold for 0.79 euros). Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck do their part on the blue package to attract the attention of children.

The El Corte Inglés brand milk is a bit more elaborate, and the boxes have an attractive picture of a farmer and his cow. Of the three stores El Corte Inglés is currently the only one who sells PL ecological milk. While in all three the majority of the milk products occupy shelves, this store has an additional refrigerated section of PL products where it sells pasteurized milk which comes from organic livestock. The box boasts the official Ecological Agricultural seal and a detailed picture of cows grazing in green fields set against a mountain backdrop.

As you can see, the PL brands are doing their part to offer their usual, great products but with a more health-conscience twist. From fat free and added soy to concentrate-based drinks with vitamins galore, stores in Spain are revamping the rules in the private label beverage sector, and today, if it’s good for you, it’s on the shelf.