Vegetable juices, vegetables in the glass

The Italian paradox: high quality, limited consumption

Despite the excellence of national vegetable crops,  100% juices represent only 8% of the volumes in the Italian fruit and vegetable drinks market, compared to much larger shares in other European countries where this category dominates. The phenomenon is explained by the low diffusion in Italy of key consumption occasions, such as the ‘American-style’ breakfast, and by strong competition from drinks with lower fruit content (nectars and other beverages), which represent 62.9% of the market (Circana, 2025).

According to Circana data referring to the September 2024-August 2025 year, the Italian market for fruit juices and drinks recorded  sales of 515 million liters (-6% compared to the previous year) and  864 million euros (-3%), confirming a trend of volume contraction but with rising average prices (Beverfood.com, 2025a).

This imbalance reveals a significant opportunity:  enhance pure vegetable juices as a premium category, intercepting increasingly quality-, transparency-, and wellness-conscious consumers.

Italian raw materials and new players

The strength of Italian vegetable juices lies in quality of horticultural crops national. Agricultural biodiversity, favorable pedoclimatic conditions, and farmers' know-how allow to obtain:

• fresh vegetables with high micronutrient content;

• selected varieties for organoleptic profile and technological yield;

• organic productions increasingly widespread and structured.

An interesting phenomenon is theentry of fruit and vegetable producers into the beverage sector. Companies specialized in fresh vegetables, such as  La Linea Verde with the ‘Dimmidisì’ line (extracts, smoothies, juices, and frappes), are bringing specific skills from field to bottle, with refrigerated products with short shelf life emphasizing freshness and naturalness.

Juice processing also constitutes a virtuous outlet for agricultural supply chains, valorizing surplus or out-of-size productions, in line with European objectives to reduce food waste.

Innovative technologies: the premium fresh juice segment

The Italian juice industry has significantly invested in advanced processing technologies. Alongside traditional pasteurization, the following are established:

• HPP treatments (High Pressure Pasteurization). A cold technology that preserves vitamins and bioactive compounds without compromising safety and shelf life;

• cold-pressed. Cold pressing that maintains the nutritional profile intact;

• optimized processes to reduce oxidation and preserve sensory characteristics.

The segment of  fresh juices, although representing only 3.2% of volumes, already accounts for  10.4% of the market by value, with an average price of €4.13/liter compared to €1.48-1.62/liter for other categories (Circana, 2025). This data confirms the existence of a target willing to recognize a ‘premium price’ for quality, freshness, and technological innovation: exactly the ideal positioning for Italian vegetable juices.

Consumption trends: detox, functionality, and innovative mixes

In the broader context of the Italian beverage market, which in 2025 shows contrasting signals with an overall growth of  +2.8% in GDO volumes in the first half (ASSOBIBE, 2025), significant trends emerge for vegetable juices:

• growth of functional beverages. Energy drinks, sport drinks and enriched waters represent over  13% of the value of the beverage sector (Beverfood.com, 2024b);

• health trends. Consumers, especially Generation Z and Millennials, seek “better for you” alternatives and functional beverages (CGA by NIQ OPUS, 2025);

• ‘detox’ products and vegetable smoothies that combine fruit and vegetables in balanced formulas;

• innovative mixes (e.g. carrot-ginger-lemon, cucumber-spinach-apple, beetroot-orange).

These trends open spaces for  differentiation and innovation, moving away from price competition characterizing the standardized beverage segment.

Nutritional profile and correct communication

Vegetable juices provide vitamins, minerals and phytocompounds useful to supplement daily nutrition, especially in fast consumption or out-of-home contexts. While they cannot replace the consumption of whole vegetables – essential for fiber intake – they can:

• contribute to the intake of micronutrients and bioactive compounds;

• promote dietary variety;

• encourage some consumers to increase their vegetable consumption

However, the sector suffers from  lack of investment in communication: unlike other soft drinks, juices receive little promotional support, also because the market is dominated by  private label (31.6% in large-scale retail trade, 78.5% in discount stores), which invest little in marketing (Circana, 2025).

For Italian producers, this factor represents both a challenge and an opportunity: to build brand recognizable, communicate theorigin of raw materials and enhance innovation technological and sustainability can differentiate the offer in a crowded market.

Organic, sustainability, and transparency as competitive drivers

The segment of Italian organic vegetable juices benefits from the strong dynamism of the national organic sector. In 2024, the Italian organic market exceeded 6.5 billion euros (+5.7% compared to 2023), with domestic consumption approaching 5.2 billion euros (Nomisma & FederBio, 2025).

Italy is the European leader with:

• 2.46 million hectares dedicated to organic farming (+4.6% in 2024);

• 19.8% of agricultural land organic, against an EU average of 9.6%;

• 94,500 operators active (+1.8%);

• export of organic products reaching 3.9 billion euros (+7% compared to 2023).

Organic productions contribute to:

• reducing the use of synthetic chemical pesticides;

• protecting soil fertility and biodiversity;

• meeting the demand of consumers attentive to health and environment: the  93% of Italians between 18 and 65 years old purchase organic products (Business Intelligence Group, 2025).

The  transparency on the label – with precise indication of the origin of vegetables, production processes and the possible absence of added sugars – strengthens consumer trust and premium positioning.

Challenges and prospects

The Italian market is going through a complex phase. In the first half of 2025, the non-alcoholic beverage sector showed  mixed signals: growth of +2.8% in volumes in large-scale retail trade, but significant declines in some traditional categories such as orange soda (-1.2%) and chinotto (-3.9%), while sodas and lemonades grow, driving preference towards lighter and more natural flavors (Gaeta, 2025).

The  beverage sector recorded overall in 2024 a value growth of +2.5%, but only +0.5% in volume, confirming consumers' orientation towards quality rather than quantity. The total market exceeded  27.7 billion liters, with soft drinks accounting for 76.4% of the total and a national production exceeding 21.1 billion liters (Italy Packaging, 2025).

The vegetable juice sector can therefore focus on:

• premium positioning with innovative technologies (HPP, cold-pressed);

• organic and short Italian supply chain;

• product innovation (functional mixes, plant-based superfoods, sustainable packaging);

• effective communication on nutritional benefits, where possible also health-related, and origin of raw materials;

• new channels (e-commerce, juice bars, specialized horeca);

• intercept the new generations. Generation Z and Millennials show strong interest in innovative soft drinks and functional products (CGA by NIQ OPUS, 2025).

Conclusions

Made in Italy vegetable juices, especially if organic and innovative, represent a concrete opportunity for the national agri-food sector in a segment still undersized compared to its potential. Unlike other European markets, where 100% juices dominate, Italy suffers from a cultural delay that can turn into competitive advantage: building the category from scratch means being able to educate consumers toward high-quality standards from the start.

The 2025 context shows that, despite volume contractions, consumers are willing to reward quality, as demonstrated by the value growth of the beverage market (+2.5%) exceeding that of volume (+0.5%). The organic maintains solid growth (+5.7%), confirming interest in healthy and sustainable products.

Included in a balanced diet and communicated transparently, vegetable juices can strengthen the value of Italian agri-food supply chains and meet new consumer needs without sacrificing scientific and informational rigor. The challenge is to integrate the agri-food supply chain Italian and transform the excellence of its raw materials into recognizable, differentiated products capable of conquering market spaces currently dominated by lower value-added categories.

Dario Dongo

Image by Marijana from Pixabay

References

• ASSOBIBE. (2025, July 31).  Non-alcoholic beverage market in Italy: semi-annual data 2025. Gaeta.

• Beverfood.com. (2024b, December).  Bevitalia unveils trends of the Italian beverage 2025-26. https://www.beverfood.com/bevitalia-2025-26-trend-beverage-italiano-numeri-chave/

• Beverfood.com. (2025a, November 26).  Juices and fruit drinks in 2025, volumes still declining in modern distribution. https://www.beverfood.com/mercato-succhi-bevande-frutta-italia-calo-vendite/

• Business Intelligence Group. (2025, May 14).  The organic products market: data and future forecasts. https://www.businessintelligencegroup.it/il-mercato-dei-prodotti-biologici-dati-e-previsioni-future/

• CGA by NIQ OPUS. (2025, November 3).  The beverage market in Italy – Forum C.D.A. 2025. Dammiundrink. https://www.dammiundrink.it/il-mercato-delle-bevande-in-italia/

• Circana. (2025).  Data market juices and fruit drinks Italy – Season September 2024-August 2025. In Beverfood.com (2025a).

• FederBio. (2025, February 24).  Italian organic growing. In 2024 sales in Italy exceed 6.5 billion euros. Export consolidates (+7% compared to 2023). https://feder.bio/bio-italiano-crescita-nel-2024-le-vendite-italia-superano-65-miliardi-euro-si-consolida-lexport-7-rispetto-al-2023/

• Italia Imballaggio. (2025, July 7).  Beverages: market and packaging. https://www.italiaimballaggio.it/fatti-e-dati/bevande-mercato-e-imballaggio

• Nomisma & FederBio. (2025).  SANA Observatory 2025 – Organics in Italy. Presented at SANA Food 2025, BolognaFiere, Bologna, February 24, 2025.