Regionality matters: short distances from field to plant

Strawberries, currants, sour cherries, apples, chokeberry, raspberries and pears – from May to November, the different growing regions of the farmers of AUSTRIA JUICE are all about one topic: the harvest.

For AUSTRIA JUICE, sustainability does not only begin in production, but where the raw material, the fruits, grows. Regionality and proximity have shaped our value chain from the very beginning, and this follows an important rule: AUSTRIA JUICE's production sites, such as in Poland or Hungary, are located within easy reach of the harvesting area. This short distance between cultivation and processing is a decisive factor for quality, freshness and a reduced environmental impact - and thus the basis of our regional value creation.

Start of the season in spring

Depending on the season, the harvest focuses on a different growing country in order to maintain a high-yield value chain. In Europe, the season starts in May with the elderflower followed by strawberry, rhubarb and gooseberry in June; Blackcurrant, sour cherry, raspberry and blackberry in July and chokeberry, blueberry, elderberry and plum in August.

In late summer, it's also the turn of grapes, pears and apples. The season closes with rose hips, carrots and beetroot. Apples are harvested the longest – the last fruits are picked from the trees in November.

Processing where the fruit grows

AUSTRIA JUICE production facilities in Europe, such as in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine, as well as the plant in China, are located in important apple and fruit growing regions. The proximity of these growing areas to our production sites is not a coincidence, but the result of a clear decision.

In Poland and Hungary, the average distance between the orchards and the processing facilities is around 65 kilometres for deliveries by truck, and an average of only 10 kilometres for tractor deliveries.

These short transport routes enable rapid processing after harvesting, protect the environment and make a significant contribution to the quality of our products. At the same time, value creation remains where it is created – in the regions themselves.

Value creation: Fresh and fast from the field to the factory

Freshness is the top priority in the value chain during and after harvest – so a maximum of twelve to 24 hours elapse between acceptance in the field and bottling. Within three to four hours, the fresh goods are brought by truck to the plant, where the fruit is weighed and subjected to a quality check. If the quality meets the requirements, the fruit is unloaded for further processing.

After another two to three hours, the selected fruit is pressed in the value chain. The juice obtained is stored immediately – either in barrels or frozen, which is especially common with berries to preserve their colour.

Modern facilities, high quality standards and end-to-end traceability ensure that high-quality fruit juice concentrates or direct juices are produced from regional raw materials.

The 2 types of fruit juices from AUSTRIA JUICE

Two types of juices are pressed from the fruit in the production facilities, which are purchased by customers for different benefits:

1. Direct juice / NFC
direct juice is more intense and scores with a stronger mouthfeel due to more fruit particles in the juice. It tastes the freshest and is the highest quality and most expensive product.

2. Concentrate
During production, the water is gently removed from the pressed fruit juice under vacuum, creating a viscous concentrate similar to honey. It is easy to transport and saves about half of the transport and storage costs compared to direct juice.

How is the production related to the harvest quantity?
Around 1.3 kilograms of apples are processed for one liter of 100 percent apple juice. For one litre of apple juice concentrate, about eight kilograms of apples are put into the press. 

Long-term partnerships with farmers

Sustainable regionality thrives on people. That is why we rely on long-term contractual partnerships with farmers in our main growing regions in Poland and Hungary. This cooperation is characterized by mutual trust, planning security and the common aspiration to continuously develop quality and sustainability.

SustainAPPLE: Sustainable apple cultivation right from the start

With SustainAPPLE, AUSTRIA JUICE is investing in the future of apple cultivation together with its partners. In the 2025/26 financial year, more than 120,000 resistant apple trees were planted in Poland and Hungary as part of this programme. Since the start of the project 25 years ago, the total number of apple trees planted has already reached 3.5 million.

• The young trees are provided by AUSTRIA JUICE.
• Long-term purchase agreements are in place. This creates stability and planning security on both sides.
• The focus is on resistant varieties with reduced use of pesticides and resource-saving cultivation

Resistant varieties increase the resilience of orchards, reduce the need for pesticides by up to 60% and make an important contribution to regenerative agriculture.

Support in everyday life – digital and personal

Regional proximity is also reflected in the daily cooperation. With the AUSTRIA JUICE Farm Management app, farmers receive up-to-date, location-based information:

• Weather warnings
• Plant protection forecasts
• Expert recommendations for the prevention and control of pests and diseases

This offer is supplemented by personal advice from our in-house agronomists, who provide individual support to our contract farmers - for example with plant protection, fertilisation, pruning measures or other crop cultivation issues. AUSTRIA JUICE also offers further training opportunities for producers - from training courses on apple cultivation and plant protection to occupational safety and practical training such as winter pruning in the orchard.

Conclusion

AUSTRIA JUICE's value chain is deliberately regionally oriented: short transport routes, processing in the main fruit-growing regions and long-term partnerships with farmers in Poland and Hungary. In this way, AUSTRIA JUICE takes responsibility where it begins – in the regions where our fruit grows.