Drinks made from juices of fruits and vegetables are becoming more popular. On the Korean portal site NAVER, health juice and fruit juice are ranked 3rd or 4th every month after nutrients and vitamins in the rankings of popular food search keywords. Among healthy juices and fruit juices, cabbage juice, pumpkin juice, beet juice, and bellflower juice are the most popular in order. Thanks to the post-COVID-19 consumption trend placing importance on health, people are searching fruit and vegetable juices containing functional ingredients and nutrients more often.

#Orange drinks are declining, vegetable drinks are popular
Fruit drinks and vegetable drinks are processed directly or diluted with fruits or vegetables as main ingredients. According to the Food Information Statistics System (FIS) of the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT), the Korean fruit beverage and vegetable beverage market grew to USD 73.62 million in 2016. However, as more consumers avoid beverages with high sugar content and alternative markets such as flavored bottled water grow, the fruit/vegetable beverage market decreased to USD 61.15 million in 2020. As of 2020, Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., Ltd.’s ‘Del Monte’ has the largest share of fruit and vegetable beverage brands in the Korean market at 15.4%. This is followed by Coca-Cola Company’s ‘Minute Maid’ at 7.4% and Woongjin Foods Co., Ltd.’s ‘Nature is’ at 6.8%. Distribution channels are 26.1% for hypermarkets and 22.8% for convenience stores, and online distribution expanded from 11.3% in 2019 to 18.5% in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Analysis of sales by flavor shows that while sales of orange drinks are declining, sales of beverages flavored with other vegetables, plums, pomegranates, etc. are increasing. As for vegetable drinks, it is analyzed that cabbage, beetroot, and pumpkin drinks are growing in popularity, and it is worth noting that cranberry, rosehip, and kohlrabi appeared as new search terms within 1-2 years. This reflects the demand of young consumers who pursue a healthy life to replenish nutrients through fruit and vegetable drinks beyond food intake. 

#Cabbage juice is on the rise in popularity
As of the first half of 2022, healthy juice and fruit juice are ranked 3rd and 4th every month in NAVER’s popular food search keyword rankings, following nutritional supplements and vitamins. Among them, cabbage juice, pumpkin juice, beetroot juice, and bellflower juice are the most popular in order with high interested by consumers in their 30s and 40s. Cabbage juice is popular, especially due to its rich content in vitamin U, which is good for stomach health. Since Vitamin U is most abundant in the core of cabbage but is hard and tough, so it is difficult to consume in stir-fries or salad and is much easier to drink as juice. Korea produces cabbage all year round through facility cultivation, and various food manufacturers, agricultural corporations, and individual farms manufacture cabbage juice. ‘Premium Organic Cabbage without water’ of GNM Life Co., Ltd., a health food company, is made by squeezing raw cabbage without water. 85-90 g of organic cabbage is used to produce one 70 ml pouch of juice. Considering the taste and health of consumers, products that have added fruit or vegetable juice to cabbage juice are also sold. GNM Life is selling ‘Organic Cabbage and Broccoli Juice’ on Amazon.

#ABC Juice is also drawing attention 
The most popular fruit and vegetable drink in Korea these days is ABC juice, which is made of apples, beetroots, and carrots. It contains vitamins, that are popular for skin health, whitening, and detoxifying effects, and is manufactured as a processing product beyond homemade and distributed in the market. ‘I’m Real ABC Juice’ from Pulmuone Foods, which is leading the juice market in Korea, is popular among health-conscious consumers because it can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere without the need to prep raw ingredients as apples, beetroots, and carrots are grinded as they are. Without adding purified water or sugar, non-heating sterilization method was applied to minimize nutritional loss of raw ingredients. Recently, Pulmuone Foods also released ‘I’m Real FROZEN ABC,’ which is a quick-frozen juice extract to stay cool on a hot summer day. It is convenient as it can be simply defrosted it whenever you need.