always different
a slice of Swiss history Warehouse containing wooden crates (1957) Filling line for glass bottles (1957) A Swiss beverage made from milk serum one that is both natural and healthy, that refreshes, that tastes great and quenches every thirst? What a crazy idea! Yet someone had it: Robert Barth, a law student from Rapperswil on Switzerland s Lake Zurich. Single-mindedly pursuing the vision he pioneered in the 1950s, he and Rivella (from rivelazione, Italian for revelation) went on to achieve success. Robert Barth began producing his unconventional, refreshing beverage in Stäfa in 1952. It was served in select restaurants around Lake Zurich. Their patrons liked it, and Rivella moved to new, modern production premises in Rothrist in 1954. The patience and persistence of the early years paid off, and Rivella grew to become an archetypal Swiss success story: Barth s innovative idea gave birth to the largest producer of branded refreshment beverages of Swiss provenance. Dr. Robert Barth, Rivella Founder and Pioneer How the Rivella Group is structured ROBARTH HOLDING Rivella Fruchthof Miroma Rivella International SEM Source de Soultzmatt (43%) Labelling Rivella bottles (1952) Alexander Barth, the Rivella pioneer s eldest son, assumed chairmanship of the group s board of directors in 2000. Robert Barth himself passed away in 2007; meanwhile the group remains wholly owned by the founding family. August 2000 saw the Rivella Group acquire dispensed fruit juice and refreshment beverage specialist Fruchthof. Fruchthof supplies discerning customers with its express dispensers throughout Switzerland. The Rivella Group today has a workforce of 300 and produces more than 100 million litres of refreshment beverages and fruit juices a year. It generates annual sales in the region of CHF 150 million. Headcount has risen by a third in the past fifteen years, while apprenticeships have increased by a factor of five: Rivella now offers 20 young people the chance of a commercial office apprenticeship or apprenticeships in the fields of IT, food technology and logistics. Swiss and foreign suppliers alike benefit from the group s dynamic operations, as does the region s economy in general. As for Switzerland s trade in general it can count on Rivella as a reliable generator both of revenues and of margins.
product palette Rivella Red (1952): different from all the rest The original recipe has remained unchanged since 1952: Rivella Red is made from 35 % milk serum by volume also known as lactoserum, this is what remains of the milk after removal of the fat and protein. Milk serum contains all of milk s wholesome minerals, trace elements, vitamins and lactose. Rivella owes its distinguishing taste to the natural fruit and herb extracts with which it is enriched. Rivella Red remains, as it always has, the group s top-selling product. Rivella Blue/Light (1958/1959): for the sake of your figure Responding to calls from the Dutch Diabetics Society, Walter Horlacher, head of the company s laboratory and brother- in-law of the founder, created a sugar-free version of Rivella in 1958. Launched that same year in the Netherlands and in 1959 in Switzerland, Rivella Blue was Europe s first lowcalorie beverage created with weight-conscious consumers in mind. This was a full 25 years before the US s low-calorie wave started washing over the world. Rivella Green (1999): what colour s your thirst? Another successful launch enjoyed by the company was that of Rivella Green in 1999. One litre of Rivella Green contains health-promoting components extracted from half a litre of green tea: it tastes great, it invigorates, and it does you good. In common with all the Rivella varieties, Green is free from colours and preservatives but brimful with valuable milk serum. Cream Butter Fat Cheese Protein Curd Milk Minerals and trace elements Vitamins Lactose Natural milk serum base Rivella basic ingredients (original recipe) Minerals and trace elements Vitamins Lactose Natural herb and fruit extracts L(+)-lactic acid Standardised green tea extracts The Rivella process Natural herb and fruit extracts L(+)-lactic acid Standardised green tea extracts Refreshment beverages Rivella Red, Rivella Blue, Rivella Green Water Carbon dioxide Sugar/sweetener Rivella Yellow (2008): refreshingly different Launched in 2008, Rivella Yellow offers a plant-based alternative based on soy rather than milk serum. The basic concept is the same, though: soy whey is what is let behind by the production of tofu, and the clear, natural serum is what remains after removal of the residual proteins and plant solids. The soy used is guaranteed GM-free. Rivella had a special filtration system developed for this process a system that has since been patented. The otherness of Rivella Yellow is underscored by its packaging: a transparent bottle, striking black-silver labelling and a black screw cap. Rivella Yellow is 100 % plant-based and suitable for people exhibiting lactose intolerance. Yet again, the product and its manufacture are world firsts from Rothrist. Rivi Marathon The hypotonic beverage Rivi Marathon was developed in 1987 and targets the high-performance sports market. Rivella: the Swiss national drink With product awareness bordering on 100 %, Rivella ranks amongst Switzerland s strongest brands ever. Independent research is carried out every year, and every year the story is the same: the Swiss hold the brand in high regard. Rivella s repute is the fruit of years of assiduous brand management. The year 2008 even saw the brand incorporated into the inventory of Switzerland s culinary heritage. The trust placed in the Rivella brand by consumers is both an honour and a responsibility: their trust has to be earned on a daily basis. The pioneers alongside Dr. Robert Barth attached immense value to the quality of the raw materials and of their processing. The uncompromising quality philosophy they set forth has remained unchanged to this day. Rivella sources Swiss raw materials if at all possible. The company gained ISO certification as early as 1993 the first beverage producer to do so. It has also been audited and certified in accordance with the stringent requirements of the International Food Standard (IFS) since 2004. State-of-the-art filling systems Rivella is committed to Switzerland as a business location and pursues a policy of continuous investment in its production facilities. The company maintains the highest standards of hygiene and uses a state-of-the-art Aseptic Cold Filling (ACF) system. The ACF line means an end to prolonged heating of the product and avoids the use of preservatives. No wonder Rivella is so natural and healthy and tastes so good.
fruity delights since 1929 Back in 1929, a young man in the French-speaking west of Switzerland opened a small dealership specialising in grape juice, fruit concentrates and wine. His name was Louis Edmond Michel. His superior-quality fruit juice creations soon found an appreciative clientele on both sides of Switzerland s linguistic divide. Michel has, over time, become a well-established and trusted Swiss brand just like Rivella. of Michel as was the case a few years ago. Michel products are not only perceived as healthy, refreshing and distinctive the fact is that they are so. In the functional beverages segment products providing specific health benefits the company continues to delight the market with new blends. Michel now leads the fruit juice beverages segment of the gastronomy market with its distinctive, almost cultish, 20 cl glass bottle. Michel beverages are particularly popular in convenience stores and takeaways: the PET bottles are practical and resealable, and the contents are second to none in terms of quality and taste. The orange juice is processed in Rothrist, and has been certified fair trade since 2007. Three products now bear the Max-Havelaar fair trade label: Michel Orange Premium, Rivella goes Rivella s product line-up is fruitier than many people realise: it was back in 1968 that Dr. Robert Barth discovered the passion fruit barely known in Switzerland at the time in Papua New Guinea. He was amazed by the taste and created Passaia to this day a unique soft drink for the discerning consumer. Rivella acquired the rights to the Michel SA trademarks and its production plant in 1983, since which time Michel s quality fruit juices, nectars and fruit juice beverages have been bottled in Rothrist. Michel Bodyguard and Michel Orange Passion. They generate substantial premiums which flow back directly to the producers and pickers in South America to help create fairer conditions. The acquisition by the Rivella Group of Michel boosted the vitality of the brand. Twice as many people are now aware Rivella has also been marketing Grapillon grape juice, well-established in gastronomy, since 1971.
Abroad, the highest consumption of Rivella per head of population is in Luxembourg. One reason for this success is the longstanding and close association Rivella has enjoyed with committed Rivella enthusiast and Cactus supermarket business founder Paul Leesch. Growth markets abroad chance for growth Switzerland Rivella s domestic market accounts for 80 % of the consumption of its products. Rivella International markets Rivella products abroad. The Rivella Group is looking for further growth abroad. It is pursuing a policy of systematic expansion of markets close to Switzerland s borders. The focus is currently on the German border region and selected areas of high population density. When it comes to distribution, Rivella has been working with Mineralbrunnen Überkingen-Teinach, a major German brand supplier to the mineral water and fruit juice segment. Marketing and sales are handled by a Rivella in-house team. Also actively undergoing development are the markets of western Austria and eastern France. Distribution in France lies in the capable hands of Alsace-based partner Sources de Soultzmatt SA. Established markets Outside the domestic market, Rivella is particularly popular in the Netherlands and Luxembourg and has been for decades. The Dutch have been consuming Rivella since 1957. This, Rivella s principal foreign market, is almost exclusively devoted to Rivella Blue/Light. Rivella is marketed and produced under licence in the Netherlands by Vrumona, known for the quality of its own-brand refreshment beverages. Hamburg Berlin Stuttgart Munich
Rivella and the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) are jointly involved in running the Rivella climbing weeks. The crowds have to be seen to be believed. The same applies to the Swiss School Student Unihockey Championships. responsibility in sport and culture Rivella s major commitment to sport and culture has always transcended the confines of mere sponsorship. The company s engagement sees it assuming its social responsibility. Rivella is involved in promoting enjoyment through exercise, movement and fitness, supporting active leisure in a bid to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Rivella s in-house sports and events facilitation team is to be seen at over 400 sporting and 30 cultural events every year. Rivella staff provide organisers with support, materials, technical services and excellent catering services. There is a special focus on activities involving children and young people. The popular annual Rivella Family Contest fun races always involve a few thousand families bitten by the snowboarding and skiing bug. When it comes to schools, A long-term trend towards inertia and obesity has been observed in children and young people. Rivella has collaborated with the Swiss Federal Office of Sport to initiate the schule.bewegt programme, designed to encourage the participation of children in movement and sport. Rivella has been involved as a mentor and patron of the Swiss sports scene for years. The company s engagement has given rise to a wide range of participations that benefit the wider community, including those in Swiss Ski, Swiss Olympic, the Swiss Paralympic Committee and the Swiss Unihockey Association. Sportler trinken Rivella (Sportspeople drink Rivella) was a legendary advertising slogan from the 1970s: it remains embedded in the popular imagination. in the environment Rivella is aware of its responsibilities in preserving depleted natural resources. Thanks to structural and organisational enhancements in its plant s production, warehousing and distribution operations, there has been a steady reduction in the consumption of water and energy. The new administration building, completed at the end of 2008, meets Switzerland s stringent minimum energy Minergie standards. Its rooms are heated and cooled using groundwater. Moreover, the production facility was linked up to the natural gas supply in 2008, which has helped lower the company s use of energy and cut its CO 2 emissions by a considerable margin. The Rivella Group has voluntarily reached an agreement on objectives with the Swiss federation to further boost energy efficiency. Rivella is also breaking new ground when it comes to the company s postal arrangements. Participation in the Swiss postal service s pro clima initiative means the CO 2 emissions generated by its consignments within Switzerland and abroad are offset in full. PET is an environmentally benign material, in that it can be reused any number of times. As a founding member of Switzerland s PET recycling initiative, Rivella is committed to fostering a steady rise in the amount of the material being recycled. Every PET bottle returned to a collection point can be used again to make a new bottle. As a result, energy usage drops by more than half; Rivella bottles contain 30 % recycled PET, a figure that is set to rise gradually to 50 %. Rivella is a member of the Swiss recycling organisations for PET and glass and supports the responsible management of these recyclables.
values Our objective Generating growth that is both profitable and sustainable. Our operating profits should be in line with what is reasonable and capable of funding our investments going forward. Our vision By delivering outstanding performance, we want to be acknowledged and respected in the broader community as a dynamic and leading beverage producer in Switzerland. As a brand name group of companies, the Rivella Group is developing an international profile by leveraging its longstanding Swiss experience and applying it to local conditions, particularly those in markets in the vicinity of Switzerland s borders. In so doing, it is seeking to develop niche markets abroad. Our mission Delighting consumers and enhancing their lives with beverages that are unique, healthy, natural and enjoyable. Quality is a mindset that underpins the whole ethos of how we work. Research (external) and development (internal) help us offer our customers innovative, high-quality non-alcoholic refreshment and fruit juice beverages featuring additional benefits. We are aiming for the horizon. Wherever we are, the horizon is always further down the road.
Rivella, the Swiss national drink Rivella is No. 2 in the Swiss refreshment beverage market 99 people out of 100 in Switzerland are aware of Rivella Rivella is consumed around one million times every day in Switzerland Rivella Red and Rivella Yellow contain 30 % less sugar and 33 % less carbon dioxide than conventional sweetened beverages Rivella has a workforce of 10,000 cows 70 million litres of milk generate 35 million litres of milk serum 35 million litres of milk serum generate 100 million litres of Rivella Rivella Neue Industriestrasse 10 CH-4852 Rothrist Tel. +41 62 785 41 11 Fax +41 62 785 44 33 E-mail rivella@rivella.ch www.rivella.ch