Manufacturers Exchange sugar to sweeten apples nectar

The growing interest of Brazilians to adopt a healthier diet and less motivated sugar juice industries ready to change their products. After replacing sugar by aspartame or sucralose, manufacturers adopt Apple juice as an alternative to sweeten their NECTARS-drinks that take fruit juice and water in composition.
Coca-Cola Brazil has revamped its line of NECTARS brand Del Valle, composed of eight different flavors, with the replacement of part of sugar per Apple juice. Claudia Lorenzo, Vice President of corporate relations for Coca-Cola Brazil, said that the addition does not change the taste of the drinks, but provided a 25% reduction in the quantity of packaging. "We want to offer to society more product options to integrate a balanced diet, with the practicality and quality we need," he said.
Coca-Cola has invested $ 15 million in the development of new formulations and the purchase of equipment. The company reported that buying Apple pulp of a Brazilian supplier, but did not provide more details. The plan of the Coca-Cola Brazil, said Claudia, is making similar innovations in soft drinks. The company's goal is to reduce by 20% the overall total calories in their products until 2025.
According to the consulting firm Euromonitor International, the brand Dell Valley leads the Brazilian market of nectar, with 45.9% share. The brand Fresh, Su Wow! Nutritional, is runner-up, with 12.1% stake. Then is the Maguary, of Brazilian drinks and food (Ebba), with 9.7 percent of the market. The total sales of NECTARS increased 14.3% last year, to $ 2,32 billion.
Arthur Oliveira, Nielsen's Service Manager, said sales of retail NECTARS had growth of 0.1% in volume in the first half of this year, while the total sales of juices had 0.2% drop. In revenue, there was nominal growth of 6.2% in sales of nectars, and 6.3% increase in total market of juices.
"At this time two segments drive sales, the low-cost soft drinks and juices with higher added value, as integral and functional," said Oliveira. The expansion of NECTARS with less sugar are part of that change in the portfolio, according to the analyst.
In addition to Coca-Cola, the WOW! Nutrition, owner of the Sufresh revised its brand portfolio of products. Ricardo Machado, Vice President of operations for Wow! Nutrition said the company has reduced the percentage of sugar in several flavors and developed lines of Stevia sweetened nectar and sucralose. This year, the company expanded the integral juices lines, that do not take sugar, not SPLENDA. And, in September, puts on the market two lines of Sufresh nectar, Orange and grape flavors, sweetened with Apple.
"Apple is one of the components that made it possible to reduce the sugar in the nectar mixed. Already the lines balance and Flavor are sweetened by the fruits that compose the drinks, "said Machado. Dietary and light lines are sweetened with sucralose. For 2015, the Wow! Nutrition expects a growth of 5% in the lines of juices and Nectars, with higher growth in the lines without sugar.
The Brazilian drinks and food (Ebba), owner of the trademarks and fruit and Maguary belonging to Britvic, the British also made adjustments in their lines in recent years. The company has already produced the line of sugar-free. The lines of NECTARS were developed with low sugar content, according to the company, and the products Maguary Nectar Light are sweetened with sucralose.
Recently, the Ebba created the line Maguary Life, which has no sugar, no sweeteners. "With these lines, our goal is to achieve a real movement to reduce sugar consumption, while maintaining a high level of quality without going into dispute over prices," said Fabio Levalessi, commercial Director of Ebba.
According to the consulting firm Kantar Worldpanel: consumer, NECTARS correspond to 75% of sales of juices market in Brazil and is the category responsible for 70% of growth of ready-to-drink juices. Among Brazilian consumers, 14% consume diet and light beverages daily, physical need or to reduce the daily consumption of sugars. The market of juices invoice $ 1.7 billion per year and grew by 11.3% in cumulative sales revenues of 12 months until June.
The average price in the period increased by 12.9%. "This average increase was not only a result of price readjustment in gondolas but due to the growth of value-added juice sales higher," said Matheus Fraga, Director of the Kantar Worldpanel: consumer. The consultancy estimates that in 2015, the sales of these drinks will still grow above 10% in comparison to 2014.
Fraga added that this increase is driven by the increase in the supply of lines of juices, stronger consumption expansion in the Northeast and high demand on class C of 17%, against an increase of 4% demand in classes A and b.