Juice companies buoyant about 2010

Premium juice producer Eckes-Granini Group is the latest to branch out into the chilled juice sector for the first time. It is launching a “boutique chilled orange juice range” called Granini Freshly Squeezed, which will be available in Booths, Wholefoods and Ocado.

According to Eckes-Granini UK managing director Steve Wheatley, this year will see a greater demand for juices and smoothies as consumers become more discerning.

“The time is right for this market to become more populated because consumers are thinking more about what they eat and drink. They want fresh, superior offerings that are a more suitable alternative to mass market, everyday brands. This is making the category more competitive and will see more companies entering the fray and showing off their credentials,” he says.

Last week, Marketing Week revealed how former Green & Black’s marketer Mark Palmer was investing in apple juice producer Cawston Vale.

He says: “This sector is rapidly growing and the opportunity is there because a lot of the established brands feel like the brands of yesterday. I expect you’ll see a lot more sampling and experiential drives around this area as it becomes much more competitive than the past few years.”

Smoothies are also looking to capitalise on a health-conscious market. Innocent has launched a £1.5m year-long campaign explaining how its smoothies can help people achieve their five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. It gave out thousands of bottles with the Metro on Tuesday.

Innocent marketing director Thomas Delabriere says: “Health is top of mind at the moment and the chilled drinks industry is reacting rapidly. For us, it’s important that our marketing shows our health credentials in a productive and engaging way throughout the year.”

According to the Britvic soft drinks report 2009, juice sales fell by just 1% last year and were worth £1.2bn. Tropicana leads the market.