Global sales of mixed flavour, HPP and cold press products are increasing in an otherwise declining juice market, according to a new report by Canadean. It reports that this is due to growing health awareness among western consumers and the increasing demand for juice in emerging markets.

In recent years, consumers have started to favour premium juices with mixed flavours over historically popular single flavours such as orange and apple. Canadeans latest annual Soft Drinks Market Insight reports find that global sales of orange and apple juice declined by half a billion litres between 2013 and 2014 to under 12 billion litres. This compares with more than 13.5 billion litres of combined global sales only five years ago in 2009.

"In many western markets, fewer people have a traditional breakfast meal and more consumers are concerned about the high sugar content of juices," says Chris Strong, analyst at Canadean. "Flavour mixes are providing a much needed volume boost for struggling juice manufacturers."

The research reveals that more exotic and unusual flavour combinations are beginning to emerge, including vegetable juices, blood orange and passionfruit. On a global basis, mixed flavours have grown by a 2% CAGR between 2011 and 2014, compared to a 2% decline for the juice category overall. This translates into a volume rise of around 100 million litres in only three years, from 1.6 to 1.7 billion litres.

Together with value added innovations, such as cold pressed and high pressure processed (HPP) products, flavour mixes meet growing consumer demand for innovative and high quality beverages.

"HPP and cold pressed juices are particularly interesting for manufacturers. They not only satisfy consumer demand for fresh products wher ingredients and taste have not been impacted by industrial processing, but can also be sold at premium prices," adds Strong.