Welcome to the Millennials’ World – Get Your Juice On!

This report was so detailed, we couldn’t fit it all on our blog. Click here for the full report! 

What happens when you masticate pounds of berries, kale, protein powder and chia? A $2.3 billion dollar per year revenue stream — all from juicing. Prefer cold-pressed juice? That’s approximately a $100 million market. Either way — it’s a whole lot of green stuff (and we aren’t just talking spinach and kale) and Millennials are throwing back more than their fair share of juices as meals, snacks, and for health and hydration. Here is a snapshot of Millennials and their juicing habits.Millennials are throwing back more than their fair share of juices as meals, snacks, and for health and hydration. Here is a snapshot of Millennials and their juicing habits.

HPP, Fresh, Raw – A Cold Pressed Primer

HPP

An alternative to traditional pasteurization, high pressure processing (HPP) involves using pressure instead of heat to eliminate the growth of pathogens. HPP extends the life of the juice up to three weeks.

Cold-pressed/Raw or Fresh

If it is labeled pasteurized, it isn’t considered “fresh.” Juices that are cold-pressed and fresh have to be consumed usually within three days or their valuable nutrients degrade. These juices are often found in juice bars where they are juicing in front of customers and the juice has not been exposed to heat or pressure processing through its extraction.

Cold-pressed/HPP

These are juices that are cold-pressed and then processed using HPP to maintain the raw, fresh natural characteristics of the ingredients intact. Many bottled cold-pressed juices on grocer or health club shelves are cold pressed HPP.

Click here for way more information, all in the full report! 

Trend Spotting

A Label that Matters

While it may be all encompassing, healthy labels attract Millennials. In the U.S., 25% of men and 20% of women aged 18-24 find organic, “free-from” formulations and GMO claims influential in juice category decisions. Usually price sensitive, Millennials have demonstrated they are more than willing to pay more for quality if they perceive it to be healthier.

Customization

Millennials like things the way they like them and juicing’s ingredient versatility fits those needs beautifully. With 40% of Millennials bored with standard fruit and juice flavors, brands and manufacturers that offer unique flavor blends or customizable offerings will please this consumer group. Customization equates to freshness, which equates to quality for Millennials filling the bill for their unique requirements.

Handcrafted/Artisan

The juice movement revolves around production techniques like cold pressed, HPP and raw. But it also depends on the human touch for the best quality flavor. Manufacturers are touting the artisan features of their juice products and having success with the Millennial juice customer. Project Fresh introduced its Ripe Craft Juice in 2014, touting “always cold pressed and unpasteurized/never heated or from concentrate.” The brand also promises ingredient traceability in the near future, a move that may be Millennial targeted.

Click here for even more trends, including the DIY Factor and the Anti-Sweet Movement – all in our full report! 

At Your (Food) Service

Convenience Markets

With Millennials using convenience markets more than any other group, it is no wonder that c-stores like 7-Eleven are adding coldpressed juices to the grab and go offerings. Partnering with fitness promoter Tony Horton, 7-Eleven is launching a line of “nutritionally balanced” cold-pressed juices, as well as salads, sandwiches and wraps in their L.A. stores that have a Millennial friendly price point as well.

Big Box Goes Mini for Millennials

Target and Walmart are shrinking some stores—on purpose—to bring in the Millennials. With the c-store market in mind, these stores offer healthy, fresh, quick options like juices, snacks, prepared meals and snacks.

Restaurants on Board

Restaurants are not willing to be left out of the juice craze. Relying on the HPP products filling the market, savvy restaurateurs are offering these as bottled options when custom blending makes too many demands on their staff. And for those restaurants lucky enough to be in Denver, companies like Gypsy Juice Raw distributes their blended raw juice to select restaurants looking to diversify their menus with unique fruit options satisfying the 27% of Millennials looking for them.

Click here for more details in the full report, including how Quick Service restaurants are leading the pack on juice trends. 

Opportunities

· Consider expanding juice beyond breakfast to grow the category. Juices functional benefits, sweetness factor, convenience and artisan qualities appeal to Millennials. Plus, Millennials’ “clockless” eating schedule gives juice an edge, especially if its fresh, premium and has phenomenal taste.

· Foodservice could spend more time customizing juices for Millennials who see putting their personal stamp on everything as a need not a luxury. Why not their juice?

· Millennials love knowing the origin of the ingredients in the products they consume. Bar codes, batch identifiers or any way to show the source of ingredients in a juice would appeal to health and clean label conscious Millennials.

· Adding a premium juice flavor to sports drink products is an opportunity to expand the juice category to sports drinks. Consider switchel, as a possibility to market for sports drinks.

Flavors

Cold pressed juices are manufactured with over 87,000 psi and these juices are exercising their power over flavor innovation and trends in the U.S. juice category. Talk about peer pressure! Here is a snapshot of cold pressed influences, standouts and some unique flavors.

FONA CAN HELP!

Let FONA’s market insight and research experts translate these trends into product category ideas for your brand. They can help you with concept and flavor pipeline development, ideation, consumer studies and white space analysis to pinpoint opportunities in the market.

Our flavor and product development experts are also at your service to help meet the labeling and flavor profile needs for your products to capitalize on this consumer trend. We understand how to mesh the complexities of flavor with your brand development, technical requirements and regulatory needs to deliver a complete taste solution.

Contact us at 630.578.8600 to request a flavor sample or visit www.fona.com.

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