Clean ingredient lists & functional benefits drive high-end juice category, Bolthouse Farms VP says
“We believe that customers are looking for great tasting juices that have health benefits to them. There are a lot of drinks out there that have a ton of calories, sugar, fat. We believe that customers are looking for things that have a health benefit but also are good for you,” David Rooke, VP sales and customer management at Bolthouse Farms, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Some of the most popular benefits that consumers are seeking now come from protein, including satiety, muscle recovery and development and boosting energy.
“Proteins are big for Bolthouse,” Rooke said. “We have seen double-digit growth of about 18% year-over-year in the last four years” in protein-packed products under the brand’s Super-Premium juice line, he added.
To continue this momentum and drive more growth, Bolthouse Farms expanded in March the flavors of its Protein PLUS Super Premium Beverages beyond Vanilla, Chocolate and Coffee to include Banana Honey Almond Butter, Coconut and Strawberry.
Each of the 15.2-ounce bottles includes more than 30 grams of protein that is a blend of whey and soy. They also have 21 vitamins and minerals with no added preservatives, artificial flavors or colors.
The company also broke new ground in April when it launched three more protein-packed Ultra-Premium beverages under its 1915 line. The new flavors – Vanilla, Chocolate and Coffee – all have 12 grams of protein and are made with simple, dairy-free ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, according to the company.
These beverages are set apart from the competition in that they use all plant-based proteins, including almond milk, soymilk and pea protein, Rooke said, adding the company opted for plant-based proteins to make the beverages as clean as possible.
“Clean is a big trend with customers. Customers want to know what is in their drinks and so our labels are very clean with the Ultra-Premium line, and that’s the idea that what you see is what you get,” he said. “If you can read it and understand it, often times you can feel good about putting it in your body.”
Providing a short, clean ingredient deck is also the idea behind the company’s new 1915 Organic Ultra-Premium Cold-Pressed fruit and vegetable blends, which have no more than six ingredients per bottle.
The new flavors, which became available on shelf in late March, include Strawberry with coconut water, pear, apple and lemon; Orange with carrot, pineapple, apple and lime; and Grapefruit with apple, peach and raspberry.
