We have world-class people and resources. Over 180 people are employed in dedicated innovation roles around the world, but innovation is also embedded within our marketing, sales and supply functions. The global team is based across our four regions while we have in market teams based in the UK, Spain, Ireland, Asia, Australia, Canada, Africa, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean and many more locations. Diageo also operates Technical Research Centres in Bishops Stortford (UK), Norwalk (USA), Hong Kong and Australia which focus on driving our liquid development, packaging and technology agendas as well as running first-rate research and development programmes.
Diageo has a long history of innovation successes from the widget to Baileys Irish Cream. Examples of some of our more recent innovations include:
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Our Ready to Serve Cocktails range addresses both the resurgence of the cocktail culture and the increased popularity of drinking at home. They provide bar quality taste for popular cocktails that people typically enjoy when they're out at their favourite bar, but don't feel confident making them to enjoy at home. Building on our successful range in North America, we have now launched Smirnoff Cosmopolitan and Smirnoff Mojito in some European markets and Australia as well as a Cacique Mojito in Spain. |
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Alvaro: In response to the thriving adult malt drink category in Africa, we launched a new non-alcohol natural malt based soft drink in Kenya, Uganda and Ghana. Available in three flavours – pear, pineapple and passion fruit – Alvaro has been extremely successful since launch. |
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Captain Morgan 100: This new variant, which gives consumers a bolder tasting spiced rum, was the most successful innovation in North America during its year of launch. The excitement on the Captain Morgan brand continues with the recent launch of Captain Morgan Lime Bite – a lime spiked, silver spiced rum with high mixability and refreshing lime taste that cuts through any mixer and gives the drink its refreshing and vibrant edge. |
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The John Walker: Available in select duty free outlets in Asia Pacific, this is the latest, and most exclusive, addition to the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky portfolio. Crafted from a small number of rare and exclusive whiskies drawn from distilleries that operated during John Walker's lifetime, the whiskies are then matured together in a 100-year-old wooden cask and each barrel fills 330 individually-numbered, hand-blown Baccarat crystal decanters. |
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Pre-mix: With a large number of people in Europe increasingly drinking at home, we successfully launched a new premix range - your favourite spirit and mixer in a can - across multiple European markets last year. The range includes classic mixes such as Gordon’s gin and Tonic and Smirnoff vodka and Cranberry. In South Africa, where we are also seeing a similar trend, we have successfully launched high quality, pre-mix bottled offerings such as Captain Morgan rum & Cola, J&B Blended Scotch Whisky & Soda. |
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Jeremiah Weed: When the sweet tea category started to take off in the US last year, we moved quickly to seize this new opportunity, bringing a sweet tea flavoured vodka drink, Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea, to market in just four months. |
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Johnnie Walker Blue Label gifting: Last year we launched a new limited edition line of leather goods in collaboration with British luggage designer, Bill Amberg. With only 350 available worldwide, this exclusive collection centres on the Weekender bag with a bespoke, numbered label, featuring a removable carrier designed specifically to hold a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. |