Suntory Oceania, formerly known as Frucor and Frucor Suntory, is a Japanese-owned beverage company operating in Australasia, and headquartered in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia and

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. The company is known for its V energy drink launched in 1997, which is sold across the world including Europe, South Africa and Argentina. Suntory Oceania partners with

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...

and Sanitarium in the region.

History

Frucor was founded by New Zealand Apple and Pear Board in 1962 and released their first product, Fresh Up. In 1978, New Zealand Olympic track runner John Walker endorsed the Fresh Up product, with the catchphrase "Fresh Up – it's got to be good for you'". Frucor was owned by New Zealand Apple and Pear Board until 1998, when it was purchased for $50 million by

Pacific Equity Partners Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is a private equity investment firm focusing on transactions in Australia and New Zealand. PEP invests across a range of industries and sectors, in turnaround and growth capital transactions. By 2023, ''The Austral ...

. In 1999 Frucor became the exclusive bottler for Pepsi products in New Zealand. In 2000 Frucor launched V in the UK and Ireland manufactured in the Netherlands. In 2001, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' named Frucor in its Top 20 Companies of 2002. In January 2002,

Groupe Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock market index. Some of the company's produ ...

purchased Frucor for $294 million after bidding since October 2001 and being rejected by Frucor in the beginning. That same year, Frucor acquired the Australian fruit juice company Spring Valley from Bonlac Foods (now

Fonterra Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand Multinational corporation, multinational publicly traded dairy cooperative, co-operative owned by New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy ex ...

). In 2007, Frucor partnered with

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

to host a job promotions campaign with participants ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'',

Billabong In Australian English, a billabong ( ) is a small body of water, usually permanent. It is usually an oxbow lake caused by a change in course of a river or creek, but other types of small lakes, ponds or waterholes are also called billabongs ...

. The collaboration with MySpace and the job promoters was the first of its type in Australia. In October 2008, Groupe Danone sold Frucor to Japanese company

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

for over €600 million. In January 2011, Frucor launched the V brand in Spain, where by June, was already being sold in 8,000 outlets. In 2013, Frucor sponsored the IGN Australia Black Beta Select Awards. In June 2017 Frucor Beverages was renamed Frucor Suntory to align better with its parent company

. In 2024, it was announced that Frucor Suntory would enter a partnership with

Suntory Global Spirits Suntory Global Spirits Inc., formerly known as Beam Suntory, Inc., is an American beverage company that is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, a Japanese multinational beverage conglomerate. The company produces alcoholic beverages. It is the th ...

in the Oceania region, with the entity being renamed Suntory Oceania.

Products

Suntory Oceania's diversified portfolio of products includes carbonated

soft drinks A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used to be natural, but now can also be artificial. The sweet ...

spring water A spring is a natural exit point at which groundwater emerges from an aquifer and flows across the ground surface as surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere, as well as a part of the water cycle. Springs have long been important f ...

sports drink Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are non-caffeinated functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and (especially) after training or competition. The eviden ...

and

energy drinks An energy drink is a type of non-alcoholic psychoactive functional beverage containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine (at a higher concentration than ordinary soda pop) and taurine, which is marketed as reducing tiredness and improving p ...

fruit juices Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such a ...

iced tea Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea. Though it is usually served in a glass with ice, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup, or remain unsweetened. Iced tea is also a popular pac ...

flavoured milk Flavored milk is a sweetened dairy drink made with milk, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes food colorings. It may be sold as a pasteurized, refrigerated product, or as an ultra-high-temperature processing, ultra-high-temperature (UHT) treated produ ...

, coffee, tea and alcohol. Suntoy Oceania distributes a number of sparkling, still and other beverages. Some of these include: Non-alcoholic beverages *

V (drink) V is an energy drink brand produced by Frucor Suntory, a New Zealand–based beverage manufacturer. It was launched in Methven, New Zealand in August 1997 and in Australia in 1999. The product's success, a market share over 60% in New Zealand ...

Boss Coffee is a brand name of canned and plastic bottled coffee and coffee-flavored beverages sold by Suntory in Japan. History Boss was first released in 1992 and is one of many brands of Japanese canned coffee. Since 2006, American actor Tommy Lee Jon ...

* Maximus (Sports drink) *

Ribena Ribena ( ) is a brand of blackcurrant-based soft drink (both uncarbonated and carbonated), and Squash (drink), fruit drink concentrate designed to be mixed with water. It is available in bottles, cans and multi-packs. Originally of England, Engl ...

*Mccoy *

Just Juice Suntory Oceania, formerly known as Frucor and Frucor Suntory, is a Japanese-owned beverage company operating in Australasia, and headquartered in Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. The company is known for its V energy drink launche ...

*Fresh-Up *

Pepsi Max Pepsi Max (also known as Pepsi Black in some countries and Pepsi Zero in Poland and Portugal) is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi, except for Norway, where it is the main Pepsi flavor. ...

*Pepsi *

Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew in some countries and colloquially known as Dew in some areas, is a soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage Bottler (company), bottlers Barney and A ...

7Up 7 Up (stylized as 7UP worldwide) or Seven Up is an American brand of lemon-lime–flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo except ...

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...

*Rockstar Energy Drinks *

Lucozade Lucozade is a British brand of soft drinks and energy drinks manufactured and marketed by the Japanese company Suntory. Created as "Glucozade" in the UK in 1927 by a Newcastle pharmacist, William Walker Hunter (trading as W. Owen & Son), it wa ...

* NZ Natural * h2go *

Mizone Mizone, also known as Mizone Sports Water, is a formulated sports drink manufactured by Frucor Suntory, a Japanese-owned beverage company operating in Australasia. The main consumer targets are generally male athletes aged between 25 and 34, and l ...

*GForce * Up & Go Alcoholic beverages *

Strong Zero −196 °C Strong Zero (commonly referred to as Strong Zero or −196) is a brand of chūhai produced by Suntory Global Spirits. It is currently sold in Japan, Taiwan, the Malaysia, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. As wit ...

Canadian Club Canadian Club () is a brand of Canadian whisky produced by Suntory Global Spirits. Popularly known as CC, Canadian Club was created by Hiram Walker and Sons, an evolution of a brand around a product that took place over the second half of the ...

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced primarily at James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky by Suntory Global Spirits. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohi ...

* Roku

Gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

* Haku

Vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

References

External links

* {{Suntory Food and drink companies established in 1962 Beverage companies of New Zealand New Zealand brands Manufacturing companies based in Auckland Food and drink companies based in Auckland Suntory New Zealand subsidiaries of foreign companies 1962 establishments in New Zealand 2002 mergers and acquisitions 2008 mergers and acquisitions PepsiCo bottlers New Zealand drinks