Steve Johnson, who was reappointed chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in January, recently declared that “100% orange juice (OJ) remains king of the fruit juice category.”
Johnson cited information from Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Director of Economic and Market Research Marisa Zansler about how the beverage category shifted in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Despite Johnson calling OJ king of fruit juice, he reported that “in the larger beverage arena, there is a lot of competition.” According to Johnson, the energy drink category in 2025 had an 18% increase in volume sales and 18.5% increase in dollar sales. “By comparison, 100% orange juice volume percentage was down by 12.22% compared to the previous year, while dollar sales were up 2.4%,” Johnson stated. He reported that OJ volume is down because worldwide supply, including from Florida, is constrained.
“What I think is interesting is the dollar sales,” Johnson stated. “Despite the competition from numerous other options in the beverage category (including energy drinks); despite supply constraints that impact pricing; despite increases in volume during 2025 from other categories besides energy drinks — American households still want (and buy) 100% orange juice.”
Johnson declared Florida oranges to be the juiciest in the world and the reason Americans fell in love with and still love 100% orange juice.
“Dr. Zansler’s recent presentation of the OJ Consumer Tracking Survey confirms that 100% OJ is well poised to compete in the functional beverage space and is among the leading beverages that consumers indicate to be high value for the price,” Johnson stated. “There’s also no doubt that there are many beverage options that the consumer is bombarded with daily … This is why we need to constantly market our product — fresh and juice — to the American consumer, especially while we work to replant and restore supply.”
Johnson reported that the FDOC is in the planning stages for the coming fiscal year. He declared the FDOC to be “more dedicated than ever to growing America’s love and consumer loyalty for Florida orange juice.”
Source: Florida Department of Citrus
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