Coca-Cola launches US$9 bottled water in China, but will it sell?

Coca-Cola has quietly launched its super-luxurious Swiss sparkling water – at twice the cost of a venti cappuccino from a well-known coffee chain – in China, but the question is will consumers from the world’s second largest economy fall for it.

Called Valser, the water appeared in the US soft drinks giant’s store on Chinese online marketplace Tmall two weeks ago, with an advertisement highlighting its source: “Switzerland.”

It even makes Tiger Woods’ favourite, Evian, look more affordable, because for that money you can buy six bottles of the French premium mineral water currently coveted among China’s burgeoning middle class.

“Our water comes from The Alps, which was formed 200 million years ago,” the world’s largest beverage company claimed on its advertisement, saying that its source was fed from melted snow and rain that filters through glacial sand.

The soft-drinks titan acquired Valser in 2002 for US$2.6 billion, though the Swiss water brand is little known outside its home, mostly available in upmarket retail outlets in cities such as Zurich and Geneva.

With consumer demand for sugary drinks sinking, Coca-Cola and its rival Pepsi have struggled to shore up sales of carbonated soft drinks by cutting the amount of sugar, while building up their bottled water businesses.