Shaking up the US juice aisle: Can creative flavours and Tetra Pak cartons rejuvenate a ‘stagnant’ shelf?
The company, a manufacturer and supplier of branded and private label foods, installed two Tetra Pak lines in its New Jersey plant earlier this year.
It plans to install six more lines in the coming years.
David Stoklosa, vice president corporate business development, LiDestri Food and Beverage, told BeverageDaily.com the juice sector is a "declining category ripe for resuscitation".
“The US juice aisle is stagnant primarily due to lack of innovation,” he said. “It's been the same old juices, mostly from clarified concentrates, in the same old PET bottles.”
Protecting products without preservatives
Consumers are looking for healthier products and functional beverages, and are willing to pay more for these products, he added.
Tetra Pak's aseptic processing and packaging technology is suitable for products such as cactus water, exotic fruit blends, coconut water, all-natural teas, smoothies and maple water.
It claims to be gentler on natural flavours and nutrients, and protects products without the need for preservatives – another consideration for consumers.
“We believe Tetra Pak’s Tetra Prisma Aseptic packaging is the ideal format to deliver these products, due to its cold-fill aseptic technology,” Stoklosa said.
“Both taste and functional benefits are better preserved versus hot-fill PET, and the supply chain can be non-refrigerated, offering environmental benefits and lower shipping and storage costs.
“We also believe - and are counting on - store brands leading this change. They have no investment in hot-fill PET equipment and are positioned to move very quickly in adding innovative products and differentiating formats that stand out on shelves.”
‘The package is everywhere’
LiDestri’s formulations include lemonade fortified with vitamins A,C and E; a product inspired by the rice-based Mexican beverage horchata; and a vitamin-rich fruit and leafy vegetable blend.
Stoklosa said LiDestri has the only two high acid Tetra Prisma Aseptic lines in the US.
“The US is the last major market to fully adopt cold-fill aseptic products in Tetra Prisma Aseptic packaging,” he said. “The package is quite literally everywhere in the world.
“The consumer will catch on and recognize the benefits: products that are better for you, taste better and remain stable on the shelf.”
LiDestri took two Tetra Pak lines in April this year: one for 330ml A3/CompactFlex with DreamCap, and one 1,000ml A3 Flex with HeliCap.
The lines are used to produce smoothies, flavoured coconut waters and nectars.
“These lines can produce 80m packs annually and are fully integrated Tetra Pak technology solutions: from receiving raw materials through mixing, blending, processing, filling and secondary packaging,” LiDestri said.
“The front-end equipment was designed to support double manufacturing capacity by adding two more filling lines in 2015. An additional four lines can be incorporated into our New Jersey plant in 2016 and beyond.”