Internationalization of Água das Pedras to Tokyo (Japan)

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Água das Pedras is a natural carbonated mineral water exploited and sold by Unicer S.A, a 44% Danish and 56% Portuguese company, the largest beverage company in Portugal1. The market for bottled water in Portugal has been stabilizing in the past years due to its maturity character. At the same time, the expansion of off-trade distribution channels such as supermarkets and large distribution chains associated with the original limited demand for premium waters have been making the market for sparkling water decrease in value. At the moment, exports in Unicer represent 30% of sales and the company had therefore it had decided to focus its internationalization efforts in the beer and water sectors. The most recent internationalization project designed for the brand was its placement in selected cities in Brazil and the US market, under the ‘Projecto Mil Milhões’, aimed at increasing Água das Pedras profit through market expansion. As an alternative to diversify its markets, Tokyo appears as a challenging opportunity that may open a door to the Asian market through Japan. Japan has an interesting dynamics on bottled water and premium beverages, and it is extremely dependent on agri-food imports to maintain the food supply for its population. This WP will clarify Unicer as a consulting report.