Sweet and simple

To lure consumers back into the ambient juice aisle, companies such as Welch Foods Inc., Concord, Mass., are getting creative. One new recent introduction is a 100% juice line labeled as unfiltered. Described as containing no artificial flavors, synthetic colors or preservatives of any kind, by not being filtered, the juice is said to have more body and flavor for fresh-picked taste, as compared to traditional filtered shelf-stable juices.

Welch's Refreshingly Simple juices
Welch’s Refreshingly Simple juice beverage line is slightly sugar-sweetened and contains no artificial ingredients.
 
There’s also the new Welch’s Refreshingly Simple juice beverage line. Available in shelf-stable 59-oz plastic bottles and 8-oz single-serve cans sold in six packs, the slightly sugar-sweetened juice beverages tout that they contain no artificial ingredients.


Simplicity always has been the approach for Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co., Fort Pierce, Fla. The company produces a line of refrigerated juices and lemonades, with the latter containing 20% juice, an anomaly in the lemonade category. This year the company rolled out lemonade tea, with product labels stating the drink is made with only four ingredients: water, freshly brewed black tea, lemons and pure cane sugar. It is described as “gourmet pasteurized,” which is defined as minimum temperature, for the minimum amount of time, to ensure the juice retains optimum nutrition, enzymatic activity and an unrivaled refreshing taste. Also new this year is one-ingredient tomato juice, joining last year’s roll-out of two-ingredient orange beet juice.

Nature's Fury
Nature’s Fury NutriDrinks were formulated to offer hydration and nutrition.

Fury Beverages L.L.C., Fridley, Minn., takes quenching thirst to a new level with the roll-out of Nature’s Fury NutriDrinks. The driving force behind the introduction is the consumer need for a convenient way to replenish their bodies in a healthy manner. Hydration alone is no longer enough for today’s beverage consumer, according to the company. Consumers want products that taste great, help them feel great and enrich them with nutrition, said Jake Nelson, founder of the company.

“Active consumers of all ages deplete their energy and need nutritional sources to stay balanced and replenish from the inside out,” Mr. Nelson said. “We consciously chose to provide a more resourceful beverage, offering more nutritional value than any competitive beverage.”

Juice is part of the recipe.