Not Orange or Grape... Please Give Carrot and Beet

Stagnant Fruit and Vegetable Juice Market for Years
Companies Launch New Products Amid Growth in Healthy Juices

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] The fruit and vegetable juice market, which primarily uses concentrated juice as its main ingredient, has remained stagnant for several years, prompting related industries to seek change through new flavors that reflect health trends.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 29th, the domestic fruit and vegetable juice market size last year was 797 billion KRW, a 2.7% decrease from the previous year (819 billion KRW). The market size, which reached 960 billion KRW in 2016, has shrunk by nearly 20% over five years. Euromonitor forecasts that the fruit and vegetable juice market will continue to decline at an annual rate of about 2.4%.

The market share rankings of domestic manufacturers have also remained unchanged for several years. The top fruit and vegetable juice manufacturer by sales is Lotte Chilsung Beverage. Del Monte holds a 15.4% share of the domestic fruit and vegetable juice market. Including brands such as Tropicana and Jeju Sarang Gamgyul Sarang, Lotte Chilsung’s market share is around 30%. Haitai, which owns brands like Sunkist and Gara Madeun Bae, ranks second with a 14% share. Woongjin Foods (11%) and Coca-Cola (8%) follow. The brand rankings are Del Monte (Lotte Chilsung), Minute Maid (Coca-Cola), Jayeoneun (Woongjin), and Sunkist (Haitai), in that order.

By flavor, sales of fruit juices such as orange and grape have decreased, while sales of other vegetable and plum juices have steadily increased. Among fruits, pomegranate, cherry, and prune products have gained attention, while cabbage, beet, and pumpkin juices stood out among vegetables. In particular, the so-called ‘ABC juice,’ a combination of apple, beet, and carrot, has become popular in line with health trends.

In response, companies are launching various health drinks. Pulmuone Green Juice introduced five types of convenient green juices under the ‘Fresh Up’ line. The main ingredients include kale, carrot, bilberry, cabbage, and pomegranate. The packaging features eco-friendly labels and a cute character design. ‘Fresh Up’ uses transparent containers that showcase the product’s freshness and has reduced label size compared to previous products, earning a high recycling grade.

Dole Korea recently launched ‘Witch’s Secret Red,’ a 100% fruit and vegetable juice containing 34 kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits. It includes tomato, cabbage, fennel, daikon, kale, dandelion, pear, and apple.

Lotte Food Pasteur also promoted ABC juice. Pasteur introduced a 190ml 100% organic vegetable farm ABC juice, followed by a large 950ml ABC juice. It uses 100% organic ingredients and excludes sugar and artificial additives.

A food and beverage industry official explained, "Health drinks are growing faster than traditional popular fruit juices like orange and grape," adding, "As more consumers look for convenient snacks for children, sales of small-sized products targeting children have also increased."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.