AUSTRIA JUICE focuses on vegetable trend

With the trend towards vegan nutrition, vegetables are becoming increasingly important in nutrition. Whether mixed smoothie, beetroot juice or carrot juice - even when it comes to drinks, pressed vegetables become a superstar. AUSTRIA JUICE has responded to this trend and, in addition to traditional fruit processing and flavor production, has expanded the business by offering vegetable juices with its own production line for carrot juice concentrate.

Health-conscious consumers are now not only seeing fresh vegetables increasingly on their plates, but also in glasses. Vegetable juices have been an integral part of fitness, nutrition and lifestyle blogs and are also indispensable on the shelves of conscious consumers, not least because of their diverse health benefits. Salad, spinach and parsley from the blender are often now firmly part of the diet in form of smoothies. For five years AUSTRIA JUICE has not only processed fruits – rather also vegetables are processed into juices and concentrates.

For a good reason, AUSTRIA JUICE expanded its plant in Érsekhalma in Hungary in 2017 to produce carrot juice concentrate. With this investment, the company not only supports the farmers in the region, but also serves an increasing market demand. The carrot juice concentrate is produced sustainably in the growing region in close cooperation with the contract farmers and also scores with short transport routes and rapid processing from the field to the press.

High-quality sorts of carrots are grown, which have a balanced taste profile and are therefore extremely versatile in applications for vegetable and fruit juices.

Both carrot juice and concentrate can be made from the carrot in different colors and with a Brix content of 42 ° or 70 °, optionally also in organic quality - tailor-made for the customer and the respective beverage solution.

Vitamin star carrot juice

The full, slightly sweet taste as well as the high content of vitamins and carotene of carrot juice and carrot juice concentrate meets the increasing demand of consumers for health-promoting drinks with a delicious taste. For example, if you have little time for breakfast, you are served optimally with a vegetable juice or smoothie with carrots or beetroot - also mixed with different types of fruits - with fiber, vitamins and in terms of good taste.

The carrot juice concentrate from AUSTRIA JUICE is versatile due to the round taste profile and can also be combined particularly well with other types of fruits and vegetables. Whether as 100% carrot juice, as a component in fruit and vegetable mixes or as a coloring ingredient in trendy drinks, AUSTRIA JUICE develops the right solution for every customer according to their individual requirements.

Drinking vegetables is hip

Vegetable juice has not only become a popular breakfast drink, but also a popular snack for in between. Nutrition experts such as the German Federal Center for Nutrition recommend vegetable juice. With the liquid variant of the vitamin stars it is simply easier to integrate the recommended daily five fruit or vegetable portions into the day.

Studies have also been able to prove the benefits of vegetable juice for health: A study by the University of California, for example, showed that the participants found drinking vegetable juice to be a pleasure, easy to implement and delicious!

Trend towards vegetarian diet pushes vegetables

What has brought vegetables forward on the popularity scale of consumers? Meat alternatives in the form of plant-based foods have increasingly come into focus in recent years, which automatically move vegetables in all variations to the fore. Millennials in particular are contributing to a new awareness of health and sustainability in the food sector. In 2019, eight percent of the newly launched foods and beverages already had a “vegan” claim, while in 2017 it was only five percent of the new launches.

Vegetables are varied

The preference for fruit, vegetables, cereals, seeds, herbs and other plants means that according to Mintel's Global Food & Drink trend review “Power to the Plants” more consumers are making plant based foods and drinks an integral part of their diet. In 2019, plants - especially vegetables - further expanded their reach by switching to new categories such as cereals and cookies, for example the Oatmeal with cauliflower from the US label Purely Elizabeth. Kelloggs launched its first breakfast cereals in 2019, which included raspberries, apples and carrots in addition to flakes.

Source: "The future of fruits and vegetables: 2020", Mintel January 2020

CONCLUSION:

In 2017 AUSTRIA JUICE expanded its plant in Érsekhalma in Hungary with the production of carrot concentrate and since then has also been offering concentrates and direct juice from vegetables. With its own production of carrot juice concentrate in various varieties and qualities, AUSTRIA JUICE supports farmers in the region through a close contractual partnership. The same principle applies here, which applies to all of our 15 plants worldwide: From the field to the press in one day.

With the range of vegetable juices and concentrates, AUSTRIA JUICE is meeting the trend that vegetables are becoming increasingly popular in all variations due to the increase in vegan and vegetarian diets!