SAMURIDE, a Japanese energy drink, was released in India!
In 2014, SAMURIDE, an energy drink released by House Wellness Foods in the midst of Japan's energy drink boom, was found to have been launched in India starting in 2019, five years later.
While I wondered why now, I also thought that SAMURIDE, with its globally appealing packaging design and naming sense, could definitely sell worldwide, so its entry into India was surprising in many ways.
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Author: Energy Drink-kun
In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.
In 2019, SAMURIDE Started Online Sales in India
Upon researching, it seems that from 2019, sales began in India, primarily through online platforms, with packs of 4, 6, and 24 available.
An announcement was made in Japan on July 31, 2015, that sales of SAMURIDE would be discontinued, meaning that five years later, SAMURIDE reappeared as a "Japanese energy drink." It feels a bit strange, right? More people in Japan probably don’t even know about it (^_^;)
The packaging design uses the same design as the second generation of SAMURIDE in Japan, and the katakana "サムライド" (SAMURIDE) is kept unchanged.
Personally, I thought SAMURIDE had the potential to become somewhat of a hot topic, even if it didn’t become a massive hit or a staple product, so it was really disappointing when it was discontinued along with the end of the energy drink boom in Japan. If a different manufacturer had been involved, it might have taken a different direction.
In India, SAMURIDE's promotional images are intense!
Although energy drinks aren’t widely consumed in India, there are still multiple promotional images available, and the Japanese samurai is depicted in a surprisingly cool and stylish way.
When SAMURIDE was released in Japan, commercials featuring Tetsuji Tamayama were aired, and large-scale sampling events were held, but it didn’t seem to spread that widely.
That said, I personally thought SAMURIDE's visual image was amazing.
This image is still awesome, and there hasn’t been an energy drink with such a high-level visual completion even during the second wave of the energy drink boom in 2020.
The commercial is also quite good. I wonder why it was discontinued about a year after its release... A lot of money seems to have been spent on promotion. If it were revived now, it could still have an impact on the Japanese energy drink scene.
やり方によっては上手くいったんじゃないかと思う国産エナジードリンク、サムライド#エナジードリンク黎明期 pic.twitter.com/UnWoTfXR7K
— エナジー・ドリン君エナジードリンクマニア (@energydrinkun) June 25, 2020
And since it's too good to be wasted just in India, it would be great if 3-4 flavors were launched simultaneously in Europe and America – it's not too late now!
Since 2001, Energy Drink Maniac has been drinking energy drinks and providing the most detailed reviews of global energy drinks based on firsthand research.
1533 flavors reviewed.
User reviews: 0 comments.
The collection includes approximately 7,000 types of energy drinks from different countries, sizes, and designs.