Juice is the ubiquitous drink of breakfasts, yet its consumption has been a real rollercoaster of a bar graph since the mid 1900s. Around the world, we seem to fall in and out of love with juice at the speed of light and general juice consumption seemingly has peaks and troughs more than any other beverage – we’re here to discuss the squeeze on just why that is.
Juice as a regularly consumed beverage peaked in the mid-90s and has quite rapidly declined since. In its place were medical professionals advertising the shocking sugar content of our favourite fruit drinks – although not all were heading medical advice as coffee, soft drinks, and energy drinks also gained traction around this time. Somewhere along the way, juice was sugarcoated, it’s now being dusted off.
It would be remiss of us reflect on juice analytics without looking at marketing, the be-all-end-all of popular foodstuffs. Fad diets and trendy consumption habits are not new, but the impact is notable when they turn their attention to juice. As fad diets wane, so too does juice consumption. As marketing portrays the sugar contained in fruits, juice consumption declines. As juicing becomes easier and more household-friendly, juice consumption increases, and so on.
One might point towards the organic rise of stylised photo sharing to understand the more recent uptick in the popularity of juice. Think perfectly placed tableware shots featuring half-sipped colourful bottles, driving beverage trends of all things.
Another factor looks at the chokehold Boost Juice had on Australian teens in the early 2010s (free birthday Boost, anyone?). Nudie Juice, Cottee’s, and Lipton all depict the fruit drink craze we subscribed to during the noughties and beyond. The Australian fruit industry is pretty special, thanks to our varied and relatively reliable climate and it’s only natural for us to take advantage of such.
For many, the love of juice comes down to good old convenience. Over 80% of Australians do not consume fruit regularly, and 90% do not consume the recommended daily intake. Like protein bars and snack pots, juice packs a nutritious punch – huge reward for minimal effort. The role of juice in the contemporary Australian diet has been on the incline together with our need for immediacy and disdain for anything that takes time out of our busy days. As a 125mL serve of juice counts for one serve of fruit, the number of Australians who meet their daily fruit recommendations increases from 10% to 24%. Health is a clear motivator for Australians, and what’s better is we’re looking beyond the old faithfuls (i.e. apple or orange, although we do love them).
Juice contributes essential nutrient intakes, with the best in class contributing nothing to added sugar or processed food diaries. Consumer trends have driven innovation allowing juice manufacturers to produce unpasteurised juice with no preservatives or additives, meaning juice has evolved in a healthier direction. The previous data rollercoaster of juice popularity includes the basic fresh favourites and pantry options, whereas future trends are expected to make room for even more pragmatic ingredients such as ginger, herbs, and other spices. Accordingly, shots and tonics have popped up on the market, meaning there is now a juice to fit into the most obscure criteria.
Whichever reason sparks joy or whichever factor you see yourself relating to, Australians have accepted mixed fruit juice as a staple again. It has been welcomed back to breakfast tables and gym bags, lunch boxes and tuck shops. Currently, fruit juice is the third most commonly consumed beverage after water and sugar-sweetened beverages, and will hopefully continue on that upwards trajectory.
Juice has hired some new PR (that’s us) to revive its image, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re not about added sugar or watered down pulp – we’re just here for locally-grown, fresh cold-pressed juice.
Our team of six zesty humans not only share a surname and a love for juice, but also an unwavering and unbridled passion. Xpressed would only exist if our ‘good’ wasn’t just in the consumables; what our fellow juice-loving-mouth-havers needed was neutrality in wellness, social responsibilities to depend on, values that tied a community together, and a Vision that inspired hope in our humanity.
Our family wants a future together, one that we are excited to live in, love in, and grow old in. Xpressed is all guts: the good guts, the bad guts, the guts that are hard to talk about, the guts that get you up in the morning and put you to bed of a night, the guts we can’t see and the guts we can.
The Xpressed community is an open door, a hug in a cafe, a familiar burst of laughter, and whether you are a juice fanatic or first-time cleanser – we’ve saved you a seat at the breakfast table.
Xpressed delivers juice that confronts, supports and enhances your wellbeing but never defines it; to define wellness is to limit humanity, so we’ll leave that up to you, whatever that means.
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