In addition to high inflation, the juice market is grappling with supply shortages. As a result, prices skyrocketed between 2022 and 2024, worsening the earlier decline in volume sales.
Fruit Juice Industry Analysis — Current Landscape
Although consumers are drinking less juice in Germany, consumption recovered slightly between 2022 and 2024. With consumer reach more closely linked to price hikes in food and drink than to juice prices alone, the fruit juice market outlook is slightly more optimistic.
As brands adapt to challenging conditions in the fruit juice industry, a focus on quality remains crucial to appeal to key users. Smaller pack sizes are ideal for staying below price thresholds and appealing to Germans’ more moderate juice consumption, whether driven by health- or price-consciousness.
Juice drinks and nectars have been outperforming the juices market, offering affordable refreshment. Due to concerns about low fruit content and added sugar or artificial ingredients, brands can build on growth with clean-label juice drinks.
Fruit Juice Market Report — What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- The use of juice in Germany, including a juices market analysis of the opportunities to appeal to consumers.
- New consumption occasions to increase the use of juice products beyond traditional daytime occasions.
- The orange crisis, and how brands in the fruit juice market can counter shortages.
- Consumer concerns when buying juice products and addressing price- and health-related aspects.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by Khalid Peerbaccus, Senior Analyst. Khalid joined the German food and drink reports team at Mintel in April 2023. With more than ten years of experience in the FMCG industry and a special focus on innovation research, Khalid has a keen enthusiasm for the German market and is particularly interested in consumer behaviour and motivations.
Despite ongoing fruit juice market challenges, prioritising quality and clean labels holds opportunities for juice and smoothie brands. A focus on juice drinks’ growing popularity with affordable hydration also shouldn’t be ignored.
Khalid Peerbaccus
Senior Analyst — Food & Drink
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Market size & forecast for juice products
- Value sales expected to reach €3.17bn by 2029
- Volume is expected to flatten
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Commit to quality to retain core user base
- Quality matters to juice consumers
- Don’t take your eyes off quality
- Embrace transparency to build consumer loyalty
- Focus on ingredient alternatives
- Find affordable ingredients that won’t be perceived as such
- Jumping on the juice drink bandwagon
- Anchor juice products around health benefits
- Make juices less expendable through health benefits
- Adjust to age-dependent health demands
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THE CONSUMER
- Usage of juices and smoothies
- Consumer reach recovered in 2024, driven by younger Germans
- Graph 1: consumption of any juice product in the last three months, by age group, 2021-24
- Sparkling and still juice drinks made the biggest strides
- Graph 2: consumption of juice in the last three months, by product type, 2021-24
- Financially stable consumers increasingly consume juice drinks
- Graph 3: consumption of any juice product, by financial situation*, 2022 vs 2024
- 100% fruit juice as a breakfast staple drives daily consumption
- Graph 4: frequency of fruit juice, juice drinks or smoothies consumption in the last three months. 2024
- Juice drinks show the greatest increase in weekly usage in 2024
- Graph 5: consumption of juice products at least once a week, by type, 2021-24
- Juice drinks see substantial increases in weekly consumption in 2024
- Juice and smoothie consumption occasions
- Mornings and afternoons provide the most common juice product consumption occasions
- 100% fruit juice is a breakfast staple
- Graph 6: consumption of juice or smoothies, by time of day, 2024
- Consumption occasions differ depending on the product
- Harness the refreshing qualities of juice drinks
- Tap into the refreshing image of juice drinks
- Morning smoothie consumption fell in late 2024
- Graph 7: drinking occasions for smoothies (NET), 2024
- Types of packaging bought
- Juice purchase levels increase alongside consumption
- Graph 8: juices products bought, by packaging type, 2022 vs 2024
- CO2 emissions from production and transportation are a concern for category buyers
- Graph 9: environmental claims in juice product launches, by top two packaging types, 2022-24
- Shots and cordials can further address packaging concerns
- Optimising packaging with shots and cordials
- Shot launches have become established in juice drinks
- Concerns when buying juice products
- Added sugar and artificial ingredients are top concerns for juice products in 2024
- Graph 10: concerns when buying juice products, 2024
- Familiar ingredients and shorter ingredient lists provide a healthier image for juices and smoothies
- Price concerns span all financial health groups, but match concerns around low fruit content
- Price is a concern when it comes to buying juice products in 2024
- Low fruit content fosters distrust
- Graph 11: any concern on added sugar or artificial ingredients when buying juice products, by concern about low fruit content, 2024
- Category buyers aged 16-34 are concerned about misleading health claims
- Category buyers aged 16-34 prioritise honest health claims
- Concerns about high naturally occurring sugar content may boost the appeal of vegetable juices and coconut water
- Attributes of interest in juices and smoothies
- Citrus blends are in high demand for juice products
- Graph 12: concepts of interest in juices and smoothies, 2024
- Orange and other citrus fruit blends appeal to category consumers
- Broaden reach with citrus fruit blends and fortified, health-supporting ingredients
- Appeal to consumers with fortified juice products
- hohes C all-in-one has added vitamins and minerals to provide daily nourishment
- Younger category users look for ideas on how to use juices and smoothies in cooking
- Add spice to juices and smoothies to appeal to younger category consumers
- Texture appeals to younger category users more than older
- Added caffeine can help combat the afternoon slump
- Attitudes towards juices and smoothies
- Fruit juice products are seen as expendable when times are tough
- Graph 13: attitudes towards juices and smoothies, 2024
- Quality cut-backs will upset younger juice drinkers
- Not all oranges are Tropicana oranges
- Be mindful of younger consumers scaling back spending
- Consider younger consumers reducing their spending
- Taste is key for younger German juice drinkers
- Graph 14: agreement that the taste of fruit juice products is more important than their health benefits, by age group, 2024
- Acceptance of environmental factors driving price increases
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INNOVATION
- New packaging leads 2024 launches of juice drinks
- Graph 15: juice product launches, by launch type, 2022-24
- New packaging solutions can target consumers concerned about packaging waste
- Voelkel highlights its commitment to sustainability
- true fruits demonstrates how brands can use their platform for social causes
- Own-label launch activity closes in on branded juice
- Own label launch activity closes in on branded juice as price shoots up
- Own labels’ pack sizes increase, while brands’ decrease
- Graph 16: private-label juice product launches, by top five unit pack sizes, 2022-24
- Graph 17: branded juice product launches, by top five unit pack sizes, 2020-24
- Cheaper nectar launches could appeal to consumers on a budget
- Graph 18: Germany, juice product launches, by sub-category, 2022-24
- Nectars with high fruit content could appeal to both health-conscious and cash-strapped Germans
- Natural claims decline, despite concern about artificial ingredients
- Graph 19: juice product launches, by top five natural claims, 2022-24
- No added sugar continues to lead minus claims in 2024
- innocent juice highlights its high vitamin content and healthy ingredients such as spirulina
- More potential for gut-health-improving juices and smoothies
- Orange remains a popular flavour component in launches, despite supply shortage
- Graph 20: juice product launches, by top ten flavour components, 2022-24
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THE MARKET
- Market drivers
- Orange shortfall keeps prices elevated, but could give rise to citrus blends
- Orange supply shortages could undermine the benefits of the EU-Mercosur agreement
- Rising costs may dampen desire for branded juices and smoothies, but own label could benefit
- Healthy lifestyle goals can give ‘healthier’ juices a tailwind
- High sugar content may put off those with healthy diet intentions
- Forecast growth of single households requires attention to retain interest in fruit juice products
- Graph 21: households and projected household, by type of household, 2000-40
- Market size
- Value sales increase, while volume sales fall
- Graph 22: volume market size for juice (excl smoothies), 2020-24
- Graph 23: value market size for juice (excl smoothies), 2020-24
- Price-driven growth takes hold of juice
- Market segmentation
- Nectars outperform the total market…
- Graph 24: value retail sales for juice products, by segment, 2022-24
- Graph 25: retail volume sales of juice products, by segment, 2022-24
- Nectars offer a price-friendly solution to juice products
- Graph 26: annual growth in retail sales for juice products, by segment, 2024
- Smoothie value sales plateau
- Graph 27: retail sales for smoothies, 2015-24
- Market forecast
- Value sales will increase as a result of higher prices…
- …while volume sales will remain mostly flat
- Value sales will see an uptick, even as volume sales stagnate
- Market share
- Own label retains the top spot, gaining share from established brands
- Own labels come out on top amid higher prices
- Own labels gain a greater market share amidst a continued income squeeze
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- TURF analysis methodology
- TURF analysis
- A note on language
- Methodology – market size and forecast
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size – value
- Market size – volume
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – volume
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