Blog - Beverages

Sparkling wine trade in the EU doubled over the past decade, peaking at 1.1B litres in 2021. Italy remains the leading sparkling wine supplier, accounting for 49% of the total exports in the EU. 

Instigated by low production in Florida, the monthly average retail price for 16 oz of orange juice concentrate in the U.S. peaked at $2.65 in December 2021. Although U.S. orange juice output is expected to drop, global production is forecast to rise by 11% to over 1.9M tonnes in 2022 due to high output in Brazil. 

From January to October 2021, American bottled water imports soared by 33% compared to the same period last year, reaching 1B tonnes. The purchases gained 8% to $672M in value terms and are expected to peak at $800M by the end of this year, setting a new record. Italy, Fiji and France are the major suppliers, accounting for 72% of the total imports. 

Wine exports from France are returning to pre-pandemic levels this year. Throughout January-September 2021, France's supplies abroad reached $9.56B, increasing by +43% compared to the same period of 2020. Last year, the Covid-crisis hit the French wine trade, reducing exports by -9% y-o-y (based on USD values). Germany, the UK and the U.S. remain the major foreign buyers, accounting for 42% of total wine exports from France. The average wine export price dropped by -5.5% y-o-y to $7,026 per tonne in 2020.

American brewing dregs and waste exports remain buoyant, growing by +4.5% y-o-y to $2.3B in 2020. A slump in shipments to Mexico, the leading importer of brewing dregs from the U.S., was offset by increased supplies to the Asian countries. Purchases by Mexico, Vietnam and South Korea constitute 39% of the total volume exported from the U.S. The average export price for brewing dregs and waste increased by +2.9% y-o-y to $212 per tonne in 2020.

American imports of fermented beverages, such as cider, perry and mead, recorded a twofold increase last year. In 2020, the U.S. imported 243M litres of fermented beverages worth $514M. Mexico sharply increased exports to the U.S., topping the supplier country ranking. Canada and Spain followed Mexico, ramping up exports significantly. The U.S.'s average fermented beverage import price recorded an 11%-slump, amounting to $2.1 per litre. 

In 2020, concentrated apple juice imports in the EU dropped twofold after peaking in 2007, from $1.2B to $0.6B. In physical terms, imports fell from 808K tonnes to 463K tonnes over this period. Germany represents the main European importer of concentrated apple juice, accounting for 34% of total import volume in the EU. Austria and the Netherlands, with a further combined 25%-share, follow Germany. From 2007 to 2020, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands recorded a slump in the value of imports. 

After a decade of continuous growth, American sugary soft drink imports reached $2.8B in 2020. In physical terms, imports rose by +8% y-o-y to 1.6M tonnes. Austria, Mexico and Switzerland were the largest suppliers of sugary soft drinks to the U.S., accounting for 60% of total American imports. The UK, Mexico and Italy featured the most intensive growth of shipments to the U.S. in 2020. In America, the average sugary soft drink import price amounted to $1,800 per tonne last year.

The establishment of duties on alcohol trade between the U.S. and the EU has led to a sharp drop in the export of American spirits. A further increase in the EU import duty on US whiskey may facilitate this decline. Alcohol imports from the EU to the American market also dropped, but this was compensated by increasing purchases from Mexico. The temporary suspension of duties on alcohol should help boost the U.S.-EU trade. The key trends in the American spirits and liquor market include the growing popularity of ready-to-drink beverages and the increasing demand for luxury spirits and alcohol, as well as beer and flavored malt beverages.

European sparkling wine exports dropped by -4.7% y-o-y to 853M litres, reaching $5.7B in 2020. Italy remains the leading sparkling wine supplier in the EU, providing 48% of total European exports. France, Spain and Germany distantly follow Italy, with a combined 46%-share. All the key exporters reduced the supplies abroad last year. The sparkling wine export price in the EU decreased by -8.2% y-o-y in 2020.

Despite the Covid-related restrictions, beer imports to the U.S. rose by +2.1% y-o-y to $6B in 2020. Mexico and the Netherlands remain the major beer suppliers to the U.S., accounting for near 84% of the total import volume. In 2020, these two countries boosted the value of supplies, while Belgium, the third-largest exporter to the U.S., failed to maintain the sales at the previous year’s level. 

In 2019, after three years of growth, there was decline in the EU wine market, when its value decreased by -2.8% to...