The juice and smoothie market has exploded in recent years and with the number of new products now available, the sector shows no signs of slowing down.
The juice market was worth £2.69bn in 2004, according to Euromonitor and recent statistics reveal that the average shopper spends an annual £37 on juices. The biggest growth can be seen in premium chilled juices, which enjoyed a 20 per cent increase in the 52 weeks to March 28, according to AC Neilsen.
With so much disposable income being spent on juice drinks, manufacturers are hoping that taste buds will be further tempted. It seems that a new juice or smoothie drink is being launched every month and certainly the wide range that consumers find on retail shelves and in sandwich bars proves that juice is big business.
Similarly to the fresh fruit market, what is clear is that consumers want more choice. Not content to stick solely to traditional juices such as orange or apple and mango, newer kids on the block such as blueberry and pomegranate juices are whetting appetites.
Del Monte is one of the most famous brands in the business but it is certainly not resting on its laurels. As part of its rejuvenation programme, the multinational company hopes to attract new customers with Juice Bar, its new range of chilled fruit juices.
Juice Bar was launched in late April and is based around Del Monte’s Gold pineapple. The range comes in three flavours: Del Monte Gold pineapple, Gold pineapple and orange and Gold pineapple and mango.
“We’re delighted with Juice Bar,” says Leigh Edwards, commercial director. “We’ve secured deals with all the major multiples as well as the independent sector such as cash and carry distributors.”
Del Monte is also going to be pushing its juices into new areas and is working closely with high street retailers and the foodservice sector.
The firm is hoping that the Juice Bar range will provide a refreshing alternative to orange juice at breakfast time. It will be available in one litre and 330ml formats and represents another innovation in Del Monte’s juice range.
Consumer awareness of the Del Monte name is second to none and the firm is hoping this brand awareness will translate into higher juice sales. “Our main challenge is to capture a younger audience but also maintain a strong relationship with our existing buyers and take our juices to new areas and distribution channels,” says Edwards.
The firm is investing heavily in its juice operations and relaunched its World Fruits juice range last October. The new range features four exotic blends including Persian Pomegranate and Indian Mango & Papaya.
“It’s early days but Persian Pomegranate is growing very strongly and has exceeded expectations,” says Edwards.
Innovation is also a priority for the company and Edwards notes that new machinery has been put into Del Monte’s Norfolk-based factory to enable a greater degree of flexibility and allow it to move into new areas. Del Monte is working closely with Tetra and Sig Combi packaging to further enhance its operations.
Meanwhile, chilled juices may currently be one of the most popular categories around, but Del Monte is keen to stress that long-life juices are an important part of its portfolio.
At present, long life accounts for 60 per cent of juice sales. “Consumers have really taken to chilled juices but there’ll always be a place for long-life juices because of their convenience,” Edwards says.
With Del Monte looking to launch another 12 new juices onto the market in the next year, the multinational’s juice operations are working at full steam.
The Big J is another manufacturer gunning for growth. “2006 is already proving to be a very busy year for us, we export to 18 countries worldwide and demand for our healthy range of 100 per cent pure fruit drinks is increasing globally,” says Josephine Carpenter, managing director of The Big J.
“In fact we have recently added the Canary Islands and Norway to our growing export list, so consumers can enjoy our smoothies at home and on their holidays.”
The Big J has recently struck a deal with Sainsbury’s for its smoothiepack range. As from mid-May, the retailer will carry smoothiepack, which comes in the flavours raspberry and banana, mango and orange and pineapple and lime in selected stores.
According to The Big J, the UK smoothie market has gone from strength to strength in recent years. With the take home smoothie market reported to be worth more than £25m, it is a very attractive sector for manufacturers.
“The smoothies and juice market is swamped with new juices and fruity concoctions,” says Carpenter. “Just six years ago when we launched The Big J, the smoothie category barely existed, now there is lots of competition. We did not set out to compete in the retail arena, with 44 per cent of the soft drinks market share in foodservice, but it was the area we felt had the greatest potential for a healthy soft drink.”
The firm believes the way in which its products are packaged has provided it with ‘fantastic opportunities’. “The Big J smoothies are manufactured in exactly the same way as all other PET bottled smoothies, with no additives or preservatives, but the aseptic packaging gives the product a longer shelf life, greater logistical capability and zero wastage, allowing us to supply globally,” explains Carpenter. “While the UK is still our largest market in terms of volume, we are in fact the number one smoothie in Japan!”
The Big J is also targeting children. It has launched a Roald Dahl juice drink which is selling at Waitrose and Holland & Barrett, as well as foodservice outlets, including John Lewis cafes and Sodexho Prestige sites.
“We are currently working very closely on healthy vending in schools,” Carpenter says. “Our drinks meet the Schools Food Trust Guidelines and will be showcased at the forthcoming high level education event ‘Delivering Schools for the Future’ conference on May 25.”
The Big J is also branching out into ice lollies and is working with Mackie’s of Scotland to produce blueberry and raspberry ice lolly smoothies. Its other flavour is mango and orange.
These days, it’s not enough to produce a drink which simply quenches your thirst. Juice manufacturers are getting wise to growing interest in health and nutrition which can explain why some manufacturers are making a number of health claims.
‘Not from concentrate’ and ‘low glycaemic index’ are claims that can increasingly be found on juice cartons but other producers are going one step further.
Sirco was launched onto the UK market in late February and the range at present consists of orange and blueberry and apple. Sirco claims that it is the first drink shown to help improve blood flow naturally because it contains Fruitflow, a unique natural tomato extract that thins the blood.
“Our big challenge is helping consumers understand that a healthy blood flow is important to maintaining a healthy heart,” says marketing director Fiona Vigar, adding that Sirco is stocked by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
Mangoxan is another juice drink that is being promoted on the back of its health benefits. The drink, which consists of mangosteen juice mixed with pear, red grape and blueberry juices, was introduced to the UK market last year.
“Demand has been increasing and consumers who buy the product are coming back for more,” says Helen O Dowd, director of Virginia Health Food Co, the sole distributor in the UK and Ireland for Mangoxan.
“The main ingredient in Mangoxan is mangosteen. This fruit is grown in Asia and is very rich in xanthones, a type of antioxidant. Mangoxan is great for those who have inflammatory conditions and for consumers who can’t or don’t want to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.”
The recent media frenzy about pomegranates and its health benefits have led to sales of pomegrante juice skyrocketing. One retailer claimed that its sales have increased 300 per cent in the last year.
One new drink, Pomegranate and Apple by Sparky Brand, contains freshly-squeezed juice and Omega 3, which can increase brain development.
With the growing competition, some established players are fighting back as they raise their game. GlaxoSmithKline is poised to launch a blueberry version of its Ribena soft drink this summer.
Women in the 18 to 30 range will be the key target market for its blueberry Ribena, as they are the most conscious of blueberry’s reputation as a “super-fruit”, says the soft drink’s producer.
Soft drink manufacturers are also adjusting their portfolio in a bid to woo health conscious consumers. “Juice content has become especially important to shoppers and we have worked hard to ensure there are high juice variants available within our portfolio,” says Vimto brand manager, Claire Nield. “We offer a Prisma ready to drink family-friendly product range which is made with 40 per cent fruit juice, has added vitamins B,C and D and no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives.”
And following on from the successful trial and launch of its campaign ‘Who Put Oranges in my Vimto?’ the firm is adding apple juice to its drinks.
“We know from consumer research that apple is one of the favourite tastes for families and this latest launch will add excitement and interest into the soft drinks aisle and boost the reputation of Vimto as a brand,” Nield says.
With producers extending their drinks range, it appears that consumers can look forward to many new flavours in the months to come.
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