Health trend drives growth in fruit juices and drinks

The Italian beverage sector performed strongly in 2017 with growth of 3.8% in volume and 4.2% in value to reach revenues of €8 billion.

While water and beer are the driving sectors, the fresh and long-life fruit juice segment also performed well with 2.7% growth to €627 million in the large-scale retail sector, of which 93% was generated by long-life juices and nectars (+1.3%). Total volumes grew by 1% to 435 million litres.

The fruit juice and drink sector is the beverage segment with the largest presence of private labels, which make up more than 29.3% of total sales. The top three producers (Conserve Italia, Zuegge and Santal/Parmalat, in that order) account for 47.5% of the market in value. The range of organic products is increasing, with long-life juices in particular showing double-digit growth to a turnover of €37 million and a market share of 6.4%.

As for packaging, the most widely used format in the long-life segment is the 1 litre package (carton or plastic), which accounts for 40% of sales in value and 46% in volume. Next is the 200 ml carton (27% in value and 24% in volume) despite a decline in terms of sales, while glass bottles in 125 ml and 500 ml sizes have seen sharp growth (+12% in value, +10% in volume and an 11% share of total sales). The fastest growing packaging format in the fresh juice segment is the 250 ml plastic bottle, which also accounts for the largest share of revenues. In terms of volumes, the most popular format is the 750 ml carton.