Catching up after ICBC...

or: this is a selection of the news you and I missed last week. :)

Author

Jan van Iperen
September 24, 2024

For Professionals in the Juice and Citrus industry

Max capacity. Closed registration, because limit reached. For the first time in its history, the International Citrus and Beverage Conference in Clearwater, Florida bursted at the seams.

This event is highlight of the year for multiple reasons:

  • Location, location, location.
    Yes, it is not next to the most connected airport, and the town is too small to NOT run into business partners or competition… but it has charm, good food and fun, and everyone knows/finds their way around.

  • Weather
    Besides the occasional hurricane, it is Clearwater. That means sandy white beaches and pleasantly humid weather for amazing seaside networking drinks

  • Meetings AND Message
    The agenda has changed over time, addressing the real concerns of the industry while also making room for trends and education on hot topics.

  • Timing
    September is becoming the new October. The moment to reflect, catch up, to talk, to prepare and to schedule is perfect in September.

  • People
    The representation of countries has grown like wildfire. Most of Latin America was there, South Africa, Europe… With a steady increase from even further away.

  • Product
    This event brings together the worlds of Juice, Ingredients, F&F, Logistics, Research and more.

  • Price
    Have to say it, but this is event is one of the few that keeps a proper price tag for a great value.

With that, to me ICBC outplays all other events. 👍🏻 Chapeau to UF/IFAS and the many well-respected sponsors!!

🧃Juice News

Celsius hasn’t always enjoyed the runaway success it sees today. In 2012, eight years after its founding, the company had branded the jewel-toned cans to focus on Celsius’s alleged weight loss prowess, but customers weren’t biting. The company was performing so poorly that it was delisted from the Nasdaq and removed from the shelves at Costco, where it made most of its revenue.

Pure Plus operates a production facility in Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, and exports to over 50 countries, including the US, Australia, and Northern Europe.

Last year, the company generated sales of 41 billion won ($30.7 million) and an operating profit of 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million).

The move toward natural energy ingredients can be tied to consumer interest in cleaner, better-for-you products.

Blue California’s May-Zhang expresses such sentiments, noting that consumers are seeking alternatives to synthetic stimulants. Concerns surrounding sleep disruption, sugar content and artificial additives are leading consumers to beverages that offer a balanced, clean energy boost, she says.

As Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NASDAQ:KDP) garners a positive outlook from analysts, insights from InvestingPro corroborate the optimism surrounding the company. Keurig Dr Pepper's commitment to shareholder returns is evident, with the company raising its dividend for four consecutive years, showcasing a stable financial policy. In line with the Citi analyst's upgrade, InvestingPro data highlights the company's robust gross profit margin of 55.82% for the last twelve months as of Q2 2024, underpinning its efficient operations and strong pricing power.

The sober-curious movement has given rise to ready-to-go drinks in cans and bottles that often look just like their boozy counterparts. There’s a version of Budweiser beer called Budweiser Zero, for example, and a nonalcoholic version of Corona beer in the same signature longneck bottles.

“It’s a way to blend in for a lot of folks who are using these in social settings,” said Dr. Molly Bowdring, an instructor in the Stanford Prevention Research Center.

But the products may offer an entry point into drinking culture that some experts are worried could foster unhealthy habits.

The investigation began when Canada's Border Services Agency intercepted a containerized consignment arriving in Vancouver from Brazil. On inspection, the CBSA discovered more than a thousand bottles of "fruit juice" that were filled with 89 percent pure liquid methamphetamine (crystal methamphetamine dissolved in water).

“There are a lot of [companies] who are basing a lot of their carbon-neutrality claims … on offsetting projects on the other side of the world, where it is impossible to prove if they are actually having an impact or not, rather than taking direct action themselves. ... What we are seeing as a result of that though is this greenhushing.”

With greenhushing, CPG brands prioritize a specific health attribute or how they are helping farmers as opposed to sweeping sustainability claims, Cope explained.

🍋 Citrus News

This has been the second season of sending out South African oranges under Europe's cold steri protocol, and the chill damage on organic oranges on arrival can be estimated at between 5% and 20%, reckons Paul Marais, organic citrus farmer and chair of SOGA, representing a group of four organic farmers in the Sundays River Valley.

In June, the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) released an updated report detailing Florida’s water supply. According to the report, Florida could experience a water supply shortage as early as next year (2025), and it is expected to increase in severity through 2040. The state’s continued rapid economic and population growth underscores the need for a consistent, comprehensive, and coordinated statewide strategy for funding water projects.

There are currently only two nurseries authorized to multiply and sell the plants, and they are both located in the province of Catania. More specifically, they are Vivaio Messina and Vivaio Crisafulli, which I would like to thank for the work they have done for the pre-multiplication and multiplication of the plant material and the creation of the incremental sections. It is now possible to contact these two nurseries to book the plants to be grafted next spring.

Jaffa has been a recognised name in the citrus industry for decades, known for delivering the highest quality citrus, alongside more recent brand extensions such as grapes, melons and pineapples.

The rebrand represents a significant milestone in the company’s storied history. The new identity delivers moments of zesty joy, highlighting the freshness, quality, and natural goodness of Jaffa produce, whilst creating exceptional standout at fixture.

Protective mesh bags protect trees against greening

Individual protective covers (IPCs) protect citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid or citrus greening disease, but University of Florida scientists have discovered the cover might also serve as more than just disease protection. 

For three years, university researchers monitored trees that were getting infected and had been previously covered with protective mesh bags and saw a clear improvement in fruit yield and quality.

🔬 Research Worth Reading

Enzymatic hydrolysis of guava juice proved effective with up to 0.2 % pectinase concentration and incubation periods of 2–3 h. Beyond these conditions, either extended incubation or higher enzyme concentrations led to a decline in juice quality.

These findings indicate that lemons fail to synthesize protective flavonoids under drought conditions, whereas sour orange leaves and root tissues enhance flavonoid synthesis, with higher antioxidant activities to mitigate the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species generated during drought stress.

Untargeted Authentication of Fruit Juices Based on Electrochemical Fingerprints Combined With Chemometrics. Adulteration of Orange Juice as Case of Study.

This work presents a novel strategy for authentication of fruit juices. The methodology is based on an electrochemical method combined with chemometrics. In addition, the case of orange juice adulteration with grapefruit juices was studied using this methodology.

This study investigates the production of bioethanol from pineapple waste juice by comparing two methods: one using bakery yeast and the other without yeast. Both methods are conducted at room temperature to evaluate their efficiency and effectiveness in converting pineapple waste juice into bioethanol.

Brilliant. You read it all.

I can tell you one thing: I appreciate you.

  About Juice News  

Juice News is a daily publication by Last Week Media (an indie media operation), and provides news, insights and research information curated daily by Jan van Iperen. The newsletter and accompanying website (juicenews.com) cover mostly topics essential to professionals in the juice, beverage, food ingredients and citrus industries.

Since November 2014, this newsletter has saved tens of thousands professionals countless hours in their daily search for relevant industry information.

Juice News, Last Week Media, Jan van Iperen are operating unaffiliated with any large scale media business. This is a one-man-show. Yes, that’s a lot… but I work hard and smart. Automation and self-developed tools make it possible to do this, besides my regular day job.
All your support is appreciated.