Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced the exclusive launch in the French market of its new fresh fruit juice brand, Montebelo Brasil, in collaboration with Laiterie de Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel (LSDH) for commercialisation, bottling and distribution. This initiative aims to establish Montebelo Brasil as a market reference among fresh (or chilled) fruit juices in France, while ensuring traceability of oranges, from Brazilian groves to selected retail shelves.
Inspired by its eponymous Brazilian plantation, certified by the Rainforest Alliance, the development of the Montebelo Brasil brandis part of LDC’s strategic vision to extend its reach further downstream in the value chain, while offering distribution solutions to its customers and partners. It also reflects LDC’s focus to further diversify its Juice Platform portfolio with sustainable, traceable and high-quality products directly to end consumers.
“Our ambition for this project is twofold: to offer a 100 % natural product while ensuring traceability of the oranges, thereby establishing a connection between LDC as citrus producer in Brazil and the end consumer. Our commitment also addresses the demands of increasingly discerning consumers who are concerned about the origin and journey of the products they consume,” said Aurélien Grisval, Head of Downstream Market for Juice, LDC.
The Montebelo Brasil line includes eight fresh fruit juices:
- Two pure orange juices (with and without pulp);
- Two lemonades (yellow lemon, and a blend of yellow and green lemon); and
- The following product range developed in collaboration with renowned Brazilian chef Tabata Mey: Pure mango, pineapple and lime juice; Coconut water, mango, pineapple, lime pure juice; Orange, maracuja, lime nectar ; and a lime maté beverage.
“We are proud to launch this new brand, which embodies our expertise as a global agricultural merchant dedicated to serving our customers, and our commitments as a responsible citrus grower in Brazil for over 35 years,” said Georges-Edouard Duriez, Head of Development and Strategy for Juice, LDC.
France was a natural choice for the brand launch, with its dynamic retail juice market that, per capita consumption, ranks second globally, with approximately 1.1 billion liters consumed annually, and for the opportunities offered by the chilled juice category in terms of value.
“Beyond the clear commercial opportunities, this launch in France, birthplace of the Group and homeland of its founder, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, has profound significance for LDC. Making this launch a success will be a wonderful way to honor this legacy,” concluded Georges-Edouard Duriez.
Montebelo Brasil fruit juices are already available throughout France at Monoprix stores and Carrefour hyper and supermarkets in 1-liter and 250-milliliter bottles, and will soon be available at over 2,000 other outlets.
bound4blue and Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced a commercial agreement for the manufacture and installation of four eSAILs® on LDC’s chartered juice vessel, MV Atlantic Orchard, in collaboration with Wisby Tankers AB, Sweden.
Chartered by LDC and owned by Wisby Tankers, MV Atlantic Orchard will be retrofitted with four 26-meter-high eSAILs®. The installation of the eSAILs® is planned for 2024 and, depending on vessel routing, is expected to reduce annual fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by at least 10 %.
Being one of the key actors in the advancement and execution of maritime decarbonization solutions, bound4blue developed its cutting-edge eSAIL® system based on wind-assisted propulsion technology known as a suction sail. By harnessing wind power to propel vessels, this technology achieves a substantial reduction in fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. The eSAIL® system leverages a thick aerodynamic profile and intelligent suction mechanisms to enhance propulsive efficiency, yielding seven times more lift than an airplane wing.
The decision to implement this technology was based on a third-party assessment study carried out by Lloyd’s Register, which evaluated a range of solutions and identified bound4blue’s suction sails as the most promising.
Louis Dreyfus Company B.V. announced the successful development of a new product made from not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice, presenting a 30 % reduction in natural sugar content and more than triple dietary fiber content, while preserving original taste (Brix value) and vitamin C level.
Further to a five-year research effort by the Group’s in-house R&D laboratory team of food engineers, chemists and biotechnologists in Bebedouro, São Paulo State, Brazil, LDC has developed a successful process to reduce sugar content in orange juice, in line with the company’s commitment to offer nutritious, high-quality juices that address growing consumer demand.
“Complementing our extensive portfolio of juices and ingredients from Brazilian-grown citrus fruits, this new product represents another positive step in LDC’s strategy to diversify revenue through value-added products, including specialty ingredients and products like this one,” said Juan José Blanchard, LDC’s Global Head of Juice. “Leveraging our global network and partnerships, LDC aims to bring this new product to the global market in collaboration with leading beverage industry players, contributing to the advent of healthy, nutritious juice product options that respond to consumer expectations, while continuing to invest in R&D activities targeting further reductions in sugar content.”
Although commercial roll-out is initially focused on Asia Pacific, with an initial launch planned in early 2023 in China, the new product is available to industry customers worldwide, including in Europe, North America and South America, where the Group sees growing consumer demand for healthy, nutritious, great-tasting diet options.
