Characterization of the ready to drink juice consumer market

The Brazilian market for ready to drink juices is expanding with the worldwide trend for the consumption of healthy and tasty drinks. The present study aimed to determine the profile of consumers of processed juices in Viçosa/MG/Brazil. The research was exploratory, descriptive, direct and structured by way of simple random sampling with structured questionnaires, showing a quantitative approach. A total of 292 consumers were surveyed of which 32% drank some kind of juice 3 to 5 times per week, 72% preferred traditional to light/diet juices, and the first option most cited for flavour was orange. The taste, quality and shelf-life were considered extremely important by most respondents in choosing industrialized juices. About 45% included the price in this category, while packaging and practicality were considered very important by 39% and 44%, respectively. Only 33% of the participants considered the nutritional value and brand as very important in the acquisition of juices. Half of the consumers reported reading the nutritional information on the labels. The preferred brands were Del Valle (22%, n = 63) and Tial (21%, n = 59). The taste, quality and reliability were the key questions involved in brand preference. One common factor perceived amongst the consumers of ready to drink juices referred to healthiness, a factor considered a unanimous source of satisfaction amongst the respondents in the qualitative phase. The juice market has a huge potential to be explored.

Industrialized juices; Marketing; Consumer market; Beverages