Find French juice processing, bottling and trading companies among the members of the French Juice Association (UNIJUS). To find out more about general trends, read our study about Trends on the European Processed Fruit and Vegetables Market. Immunity-boosting and functional drinks The United Kingdom is the third-ranked importer of citrus and tropical juices in Europe, with a decreasing import trend until 2019. The average annual import decrease of this category of juices was 3% over the last 5 years. However, in 2020, partially due to the impact of COVID-19, the market started to recover. Imports of most juices increased, reaching 524 thousand tonnes. Orange juice accounts for more than 80% of the entire category. Strong import growth was also noted for NFC pineapple, concentrated orange, mandarin and lemon juices. See our study on Market Statistics & Outlook for Processed Fruit and Vegetables for more information on general trade developments within the European processed fruit and vegetables sector.

According to the German Juice Association, orange flavour accounts for 1 quarter of the retail sales of juices and nectars. The real share of consumption is larger (more than one-third), as it includes additional quantities in freshly squeezed oranges, smoothies and other drinks. Citrus and tropical juices are very popular ingredients in juice mixes with the addition of vitamins, called multi-vitamin juices. Their use as an ingredient in smoothies, functional drinks and flavoured waters is also increasing fast. Like in other European countries, French consumers’ concerns about the high sugar content in juices have influenced consumption. Consumption of all juices continued to decrease in 2020, but due to the impact of COVID-19, retail sales and at-home consumption performed better compared to out-of-home consumption. Total consumption decreased from 1.65 billion litres in 2010 to 1.24 billion litres in 2020. Orange juice accounted for 43.1% of the market, pineapple for 3.5%, other single tropical fruits for 2.1%, grapefruit for 1.7% and mandarin/clementine for 1.7%. Brazilian orange juice accounts for nearly 60% of citrus and tropical juice imports. The main reason for such large imports is the presence of Brazilian producing giants in Rotterdam – Cutrale (Continental Juice BV) and Louis Dreyfus. Also, the leading European processor and trader, Döhler, sells large quantities of juices through its Dutch representation (Doehler Holland BV). Examples of other Dutch traders of tropical and citrus juices are SVZ, Ariza (specialised in organic products), Prodalim, Verbruggen Juice Trading and Santos Enterprise Food. Generally, fruit juices are perceived as more natural than most soft drinks (such as carbonated drinks), so producers are innovating to make juices lower in calories. New low-calorie juices are appearing on the market, such as fruit and vegetable mixes, juices with coconut water and juices with an increased proportion of low-sugar fruit such as raspberry puree. Popularity of smoothies Some European countries (such as Spain and Italy) produce citrus juices, but production is not sufficient to satisfy local demand. Europe imported 1.8 million tonnes of tropical and citrus juices from non-European countries in 2020.

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Certain types of tropical fruits and juices are promoted to European consumers as products with specific health benefits. Some claims for those products are based on clinical research, but some products still need more research to support marketing claims. Popular tropical juices include açaí berry (high antioxidant content), acerola (rich in vitamin C), Aloe vera (treats constipation and is rich in antioxidants), noni (may improve immunity and joint health), ginger (treats nausea and seminal motility) or turmeric (treats inflammation and symptoms of osteoarthritis). Orange juice is the most popular imported juice in Europe, accounting for an almost 80% share of total imports of all citrus and tropical juices. Pineapple juice follows with 12%, lemon juice with 4% and grapefruit juice with 3%. Most orange juice (51%) is imported as low-Brix (<20°) or NFC juice; 26% is imported as concentrated juice and 3% as frozen concentrated orange juice. Grapefruit and other citrus juices are mainly imported in concentrated form, while pineapple and other tropical juices are mainly imported as NFC. Citrus and tropical juices are mostly used for direct consumption, or as ingredients in the beverages industry to produce juices, smoothies, soft drinks and other beverages. They are also used as ingredients in products like fruit preparations, fillings and toppings. High-acid citrus juices (limon or lime) are consumed diluted with water, used as acidity regulators or used as ingredients in drinks. Some juices (such as lemon) are also sometimes processed into powder, usually via a spray drying process, and exported as concentrated powder. Entering the German juice market is challenging, as import is concentrated among and dominated by only a few large industrial suppliers. Although there are more than 300 juice bottlers in Germany, most of them do not import raw material directly, but are supplied through big traders. The leading citrus and tropical juice importers and industry suppliers in Germany include Döhler and Austrian companies with facilities in Germany – Agrana (Agrana Fruit Germany) and Grünewald (Ernteband Fruchtsaft). Examples of other industry suppliers are Carrière, Johs.Thoms, Saprex and Juice Trade.

of the problems that the EU industry is facing is that the statement ‘no added sugar’ is not allowed for fruit juices. However, this statement is allowed for other drinks, which led to the development of many new low-calorie drinks such as flavoured waters and carbonated, energy and other soft drinks. For example, it is expected that energy drink consumption will continue to increase at an average annual rate of more than 6%. Citrus and tropical juices are consumed less often as pure juices and are more often used as ingredients in those drinks. According to ‘Financial Food’ (based on combined Nielsen and Kantar data), the consumption of fruit juices in Spain has continued to decrease despite the impact of COVID-19. The total volume of fruit juices and nectars sold in 2020 was estimated at 734 million litres. Fruit juices accounted for 41% of consumption, while the remaining 59% were nectars (with a 25-99% juice content). Orange juice is the most popular flavour with a share of around 36%, followed by pineapple with 26%. Other tropical fruits account for around 15%. The largest share of citrus juice trade belongs to orange juice, followed by grapefruit, lemon and lime. Other citrus fruit juices such as mandarin, tangerine, pomelo and yuzu are traded in relatively small quantities. The largest share of tropical juice trade belongs to pineapple juice, followed by passion fruit (maracuja). Recovery of aroma – the water removed during evaporation contains aroma essences. To preserve aroma, the first vapours (rich in essence) are commonly taken from the evaporation tubes and condensed. The acquired liquid is further processed to get a concentrated aroma essence. This essence is commonly sold together with the concentrated juice. The Netherlands is by far Europe’s largest importer of citrus and tropical juices. Since 2016, imports increased at an average annual rate of 6%, reaching a record 1.05 billion litres in 2020. However, it is estimated that around 90% of all imported citrus and tropical juices are re-exported to other destinations, primarily Germany and France. The remaining 10% is consumed domestically, which means that the Netherlands is actually a rather small market.The smoothie market has been dominated by one brand and prices have been ruthlessly high,” said Richard Cawood, marketing manager at Don Simon owner J Garcia Carrión. See our studies on coconut water, mango puree and pineapple juice to learn more about European markets for these specific juice industry products. Citrus and tropical juices mainly consist of the liquid contained in citrus or tropical fruit. Tropical fruit is grown in tropical regions (the climatic zone surrounding the Equator), while citrus fruit more specifically belongs to the genus Citrus. Due to climatic conditions, tropical fruit cannot be produced in Europe, except in a few isolated islands that belong to European countries. Some citrus fruit is grown and processed into juices in Mediterranean Europe. Still, most citrus juices are imported because domestic production cannot satisfy European demand. An interesting example of a developing country supplier of organic citrus and tropical juices is the Peruvian company Frutosa. Frutosa is a private venture, supported by several associates, including the Pronatur growers collective, which supplies organic fruit for the production of purees. Frutosa successfully entered the European market in partnership with French aromatic and fruit ingredients supplier Astier Demarest. Sustainability