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.

Vitamin C is already an established ingredient in juices and nectars, mostly because of its antioxidant properties. COVID-19 has contributed to the development of drinks with more added nutrients that can have a positive impact on the immune system. These drinks often use citrus and tropical juices as ingredients with added complex vitamins, minerals (especially zinc) and probiotics. This study covers general information that is of interest to producers in developing countries regarding the market for citrus and tropical juices in Europe. Please see Table 1 with the products and their product codes used for statistical analysis. Please note that fruit purees are not included in the statistical analysis, as there is no officially defined statistical code for these products. When ‘Europe’ is referred to in this study, it means the 27 Member States of the European Union, plus the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. 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. Due to consumer perception of the sugar content in juices, the general consumption of juices in Europe is decreasing. To educate consumers, provide juice facts and stimulate consumption, the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN) has launched a campaign, ‘Fruit Juice Matters’, and has established a Fruit Juice Science Centre. Despite these efforts, the consumption of fruit juices is decreasing, also influenced by promotional activities from soft drink manufacturers. Some carbonated drinks have better ‘Nutri-Score’ ranks than fruit juices, which is used in promotion. Due to consumers’ concerns about sugar and calories, British consumption of juices decreased until 2019, but it increased in 2020. According to the British Soft Drinks Association, consumption of juices including smoothies and coconut water reached 930 million litres. Citrus and tropical juices make up more than two-thirds of this amount. The most popular flavour is orange with a 63.3% market share in 2020, while pineapple accounts for 3.5%. In nectars, tropical flavours account for a market share of around 4%.

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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. The global market for smoothies is forecast to increase at an average annual rate of 7-9% until 2025. 1 of the trends supporting this outlook is the decreased consumption of sugars. Smoothies can be produced with a lower average sugar content than fruit juices. The lower sugar content is achieved by combining fruit with vegetables and milk or water. The addition of water is not allowed in 100% fruit juices, which leads to a healthier consumer perception of smoothies compared to fruit juices. Organic citrus and tropical juices Germany is the largest juice market in Europe, with a very strong and increasing offer of organic juices. However, apple juice is more popular than citrus and tropical flavours. German imports of citrus and tropical juices have increased at an average annual rate of 2% over the last 5 years, reaching 590 thousand tonnes in 2020. Most of these imported juices are used for domestic consumption, but large quantities are also exported to other European countries, with France and the United Kingdom being the main markets. As Europe’s largest markets for citrus and tropical juices, France, Germany and the United Kingdom are interesting focus markets. Spain and Italy, also processors of citrus fruit, are attractive markets because they consume large quantities of tropical juices. The Netherlands, while it is the largest importer, re-exports most of its imported quantities and is rather a small consumer. However, the country is home to some of the largest European traders, providing distinct opportunities and insights and an entry point for the whole of Europe.

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. 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.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 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). 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. 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.