U.S. consumers have felt the sting of inflation, but that hasn’t kept them from drinking more beverages year after year, the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) recently reported.
Tina Charpentier of Padilla, the Florida Department of Citrus’ (FDOC) marketing and issues management agency, told the FCC that consumers have endured a 30% increase in food prices since 2019. During that same time, there has been a 55%-plus increase in prices for sports drinks and carbonated beverages.
“Consumers are waiting for prices to return to normal,” Charpentier reported, adding that in the meantime they are buying lower-priced brands or shopping at lower-priced retailers.
Despite the challenges of inflation, beverage consumption in America continues to increase annually. Padilla representatives indicated this is due in large part to the growth in popularity of the functional beverage category. That category has played a significant role in changing the beverage landscape over the past four years. Top growth drivers in the functional beverage category are claims of immune defense, high protein source, energy, prebiotic, probiotic and digestive health.
According to Padilla, health and taste are driving factors in the growth and popularity of the functional beverage category. These factors are where the opportunity lies for Florida orange juice (OJ) to stake a claim in this category, with its nutrient density and superior taste, agency representatives stated.
According to Padilla, the FDOC’s 2024–25 program strategy is built to turn marketplace dynamics into opportunities by:
- Building the value story around Florida OJ so it will resonate with the modern juice consumer, reinforcing that 100% orange juice can fulfill the desires of functional beverage drinkers, offering support for immunity, performance/energy and heart health
- Maximizing return on media investment through AI-powered analytics, resulting in greater marketing precision and greater purchase frequency
- Refining the definition of the modern juice consumer through more focused targets, identifying real-life demonstrated behaviors and need states
Source: FDOC
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