Don Simon Mango and Passionfruit Juice, 1.583 kg

Product Information

Fruit sizing – sizing is not used for each type of fruit processing, but it is typical in citrus juice production. Sizing allows optimal pressure of the presses in the next steps. If the fruit is too big, for example, high pressure can extract bitter components of the peel. NFC and low-Brix orange juices are the most imported product of the entire category, representing more than half of total imports in quantity. NFC orange juice is a fast-growing category, with 8% average annual import growth since 2016. Tropical juices (not counting pineapple) show the largest import growth, increasing from 3.7 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 6.1 thousand tonnes in 2020. Significant quantities are imported indirectly via Austria from large traders such as Agrana or through the Austrian trade office of Brazilian processing giant Citrosuco GmbH. 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

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.Italy is another European country with its own significant production of citrus juices. However, Italy provides opportunities for developing country suppliers, as the country cannot produce enough for the local market and imports citrus juices (especially lemon) from other destinations. Also, Italy is a significant importer of pineapple and other tropical juices. Over the last 5 years, Italian imports of citrus and tropical juices increased at an average annual rate of 5%, reaching 74 thousand tonnes in 2020. 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.

The leading supplier of citrus and tropical juices to Italy is the Netherlands, with a 28% share. The Netherlands mainly supplies Italy with concentrated pineapple juice of Thai and Indonesian origin. Other strong European suppliers are Spain (mandarin and lemon juice) and Germany (mostly orange juice of Brazilian origin). Developing country suppliers gaining share on the Italian market are Brazil (concentrated orange), South Africa (concentrated orange and lemon), Bolivia (lemon), Egypt (mango), Mexico (lime) and the Philippines (concentrated pineapple). French imports of citrus and tropical juices decreased at an average annual rate of 2% between 2016 and 2020, reaching 771 thousand tonnes in 2020. Most imported citrus and tropical juices remain on the local market, as France’s re-export is insignificant. NFC and low-Brix orange juice account for 65% of all imports in the entire category. The import decrease is mainly due to a decrease in the import of orange juice with a Brix level between 20 and 67°, from 117 thousand tonnes in 2016 to 46 thousand tonnes in 2020 due to a general decrease in consumption. Concentrated pineapple juice with a Brix level below 67° is the most imported juice of the entire category, accounting for 16% in 2020. Lemon juice accounted for 14.4% of imports, followed by NFC orange juice (14.2%) and concentrated orange juice with a Brix level below 67°. The largest annual import growth since 2016 was noted for NFC lemon juice (41%) and frozen concentrated orange juice with a Brix level below 67° (11%). In the subcategory of tropical juices, the largest annual import growth of 18% was for passion fruit and mango juice. The total annual consumption of fruit juices and nectars in Italy is estimated at more than 600 million litres. Due to consumers’ sugar concerns, the consumption of juices has been decreasing since 2015, but this decline slowed down in 2020 under the influence of COVID-19. Consumption of smoothies and fruit-milk drinks is increasing. In the fruit juice category (not counting nectars), orange juice flavour accounts for around 30% (33 million litres), followed by pineapple (22%), tropical (19%) and grapefruit (12%). Organic juices have a market share of around 3.5% in volume. Washing, cleaning, sorting and inspection – depending on the type of juice, the fruit can be cleaned in different ways. Common processing lines include brush-and-spray cleaning machines and bubble washing machines. If the fruit is stored before processing to improve the sugar-acid ratio and taste, it can be washed later. Before juice extraction, the fruit is inspected and defect fruit is removed.

Read more

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. 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. British importers buy relatively small quantities of citrus and tropical juice directly from origin. They mostly import from other European suppliers. Spain is gaining a bigger share of the British market, with an annual export growth of 16%. García Carrión ­( Don Simon brand) is 1 of the leading Spanish suppliers to the British market. Aside from Brazil, the supply from developing countries is small, but some countries – such as the Philippines (coconut water and concentrated pineapple), Thailand (pineapple) and Mexico (lime) – are increasing their exports to the United Kingdom.