Valensina Group: Trend forecast for non-alcoholic beverages 2025

According to fruit juice expert Valensina Group, the gap between quality and price, which has manifested itself in recent years in consumer behavior in the non-alcoholic beverage segment, especially fruit juices, will widen even further in 2025. “We are observing a clear trend towards high quality, even premium, which is enabling manufacturer brands such as HITCHCOCK, Valensina and Wolfra to win. On the other hand, prices are rising and certain groups of consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive. We therefore believe that the importance of price promotions for brands will increase and will also be demanded by retailers,” says Tino Mocken, Managing Director of the Valensina Group, outlining the expected situation in 2025. It can also be assumed that the fruit juice category will remain under pressure in 2025 due to rising prices, but that younger categories such as iced teas and energy drinks will become even more popular. Tino Mocken sees a lot of potential in fruit juice-related segments: “We firmly believe that demand for beverages with a lower fruit content, such as fruit juice drinks and spritzers, will increase by a few percentage points. On the one hand, this development is the result of higher prices due to the high cost of raw materials and, on the other, the trend towards reduced sugar consumption plays a decisive role.”

Introduction of the mandatory deposit has been mastered very positively and successfully
“Our conclusion on the introduction of the mandatory deposit for juices is consistently positive: We have not noticed any negative effects on sales. The mandatory deposit was accepted by consumers almost without comment. Thanks to their experience with other product categories, consumers have long been familiar with the deposit system and have also accepted it smoothly and positively for fruit juices,” summarizes Tino Mocken. This is also reflected in the market development with regard to the most popular types of packaging: the trend for returnable glass MW is positive and the share of PET is stable, according to the Valensina Group.