Around 450 industry leaders discussed innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in the global juice sector.

The Juice Summit 2024, held in Antwerp on 16-17 October, concluded with great success, bringing together around 450 participants from around the world. Jointly organised by AIJN (European Fruit Juice Association), IFU (International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association), and SGF International (SAFE- GLOBAL-FAIR), this year’s summit once again reinforced its reputation as the premier global platform for the fruit juice and nectar industry. With dynamic discussions, insightful keynotes, and forward-looking sessions, the summit explored the critical challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the juice industry.

Key themes addressed during Juice Summit 2024

At the Juice Summit 2024, keynote speakers offered valuable insights into the industry’s future. Elwin De Groot from RaboResearch addressed global economic challenges, emphasising the need for innovation and adaptability. Following him, Elopak CEO Thomas Körmendi focused on the growing importance of sustainable packaging, urging the industry to make strategic, eco-friendly choices for long-term success. Following the keynotes, four panel discussions tackled key issues. The first a session focused on consumer behaviour, including an analysis of psychological drivers, particularly during times of crisis such as inflation and health concerns. Leaders shared actionable insights on how businesses can adapt to emerging consumer trends, providing fresh opportunities to revitalise product offerings and better meet evolving consumer needs.

Another key issue addressed was the citrus greening disease affecting the orange industry in South America with consequences on availability and price. The session stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between growers, researchers, and industry stakeholders to safeguard the future of orange juice production.

Sustainability was another key theme at the summit, particularly during the session on the evolving Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, exploring how the juice sector can thrive in a circular economy, and analysing both the challenges and opportunities presented by this regulation.

The final session took a broad view of emerging markets of apple juice production and global citrus industry trends. The summit ended with a presentation on building resilient food systems, outlining adaptive strategies for handling climate change, economic volatility, and global disruptions in agriculture.

Looking ahead: a united industry for a sustainable future

The Juice Summit 2024 concluded with a strong emphasis on adaptability, innovation, and sustainability as critical drivers for the future of the juice industry. Kees Cools, President of IFU, remarked, “The Juice Summit offers a great information and dialogue platform to all segments of the global juice supply chain in support of solutions for the many challenges the industry faces today.” Joachim Tretzel, President of SGF, added, “The unique blend of commercial and technical subjects during the Juice Summit offers many opportunities to jointly exploit new routes to future success.” Javier Lorenzo, President of AIJN, echoed these sentiments, stating, “The future of the juice industry lies in our ability to work together, share knowledge, and drive innovation”.

The next edition of the Juice Summit is scheduled for early October 2025, before Anuga 2025, with further details to be announced in the coming months.

For more information and to stay updated on future events, please visit The Juice Summit Website.

The 11th edition of the Juice Summit will take place on 16 and 17 October 2024 in Antwerp

The Juice and Nectar Industry is set to convene at the Juice Summit 2024, jointly organised by AIJN, the European Fruit Juice Association, IFU, the International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association and SGF International (SAFE – GLOBAL – FAIR).

Since its launch in 2013, the Juice Summit has grown into the leading event for the juice industry, attracting over 450 participants every year. This highly anticipated gathering will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders from all around the world to explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the global juice sector.

The Juice Summit 2024 will offer a unique opportunity for insightful dialogue and building valuable connections. Attendees will gain insights from prominent speakers, engage in thought-provoking panel discussions, and participate in interactive sessions focused on key industry themes.

Key highlights of the Juice Summit 2024:

• Inspirational keynotes: Hear from leading figures in the juice industry, including Elwin de Groot, Head of Macro Strategy at Rabo Research and Thomas Körmendi, CEO of Elopak Group.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with industry colleagues, potential partners, and thought leaders to foster new collaborations and exchange ideas.

Session highlights:

• Understanding Consumer Minds, Market Trends, and Research-Driven Strategies: Explore consumer behavior, market dynamics, and expert perspectives on the new sugar-reduced juice category.
• Main threats and new approaches for a healthy orange industry in Brazil: Explore challenges like citrus greening, economic pressures, and environmental factors, along with innovative strategies to protect the orange industry.
• The PPWR (r)evolution: How the juice business can thrive in a circular economy? Learn about the evolving regulations and how the industry can adapt to thrive in a circular economy.
• Supply Chain & Demand: Analyse the complexities of balancing supply and demand in the juice industry, focusing on logistics, forecasting, and the impact of global market fluctuations.

To secure your place at the Juice Summit 2024 and view the full agenda, please visit The Juice Summit. Early registration is encouraged, as spaces are limited and expected to fill quickly.

International, innovative and the highest possible quality—that’s how best to describe drinktec, which was held from September 12 to 16, 2022, at the Munich trade fair center. A total of 1,002 exhibitors from 55 countries and nearly 50,000 visitors from 169 countries came to the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.

drinktec—the world’s leading trade fair

With 65 percent of exhibitors and more than 70 percent of visitors coming from countries outside of Germany, drinktec has impressively bolstered its status as the world’s leading trade fair. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Messe München CEO: “drinktec shows us that world fairs in Europe are possible again. Most visitors came from abroad, and almost 40 percent of these from outside of Europe, such as Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and India. And it’s quite revealing that the third strongest visitor country after Germany and Italy is the USA.” Volker Kronseder, drinktec Chairman of the Advisory Board, adds: “When you go through the halls, you discover a multitude of new and further developments, you see that people from different countries are at last communicating with one another in person again. The innovation density is also extremely high again this year.”

drinktec—highest possible visitor quality

Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Process Plant and Equipment Association, German Engineering Federation (VDMA), sums up: “The industry has been waiting for drinktec in particular with bated breath. The atmosphere is simply superb. The exhibitors are impressed by the internationality and high quality of the visitors.” An observation that Florian Schneider, Chief Commercial Officer at ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA, seamlessly adds to: “drinktec is back, and with it our customers and interested parties from all over the world. The numbers do appear on the whole to be lower than in the past. But the quality is high. drinktec once again proves that it is the most important international platform.”

drinktec—innovation and incentive generator

drinktec also lived up to this claim with the innovations on display. Overall the exhibitors presented more than 700 new products and solutions in the Innovation Guide and Solution Guide digital offerings. Dr. Johannes T. Grobe, Head of Sales and Service at the KHS Group, explains why drinktec in particular is the place for premieres: “The world’s leading trade show enjoys a high standing in the industry as the most important source of innovation and incentive. It offers us the perfect opportunity to get together with our customers and partners at an international level. We enjoyed numerous chats and discussions on new investments during the show.” Marcus Ley, Vice President Global Accounts at Ecolab, adds: “In our view, drinktec is the leading marketplace where global industry experts and decision makers meet to identify innovations and state-of-the-art technologies to advance their operations. We have once more been able to connect with high quality and top management level visitors to advance our business objectives. Another unforgettable show!“ And Reinhard Streit, Vice President and Managing Director Food & Beverage Europe at CCL Label summarizes: “In a nutshell, drinktec is the best global platform if you are in the beverage business.”

drinktec—the networking platform

For visitors drinktec is also the beverage and liquid food industry’s major networking platform, as Gary Guo, Vice President, Global Supply Chain with the Coca Cola Company, confirms: “It’s so good to be back here in Munich at drinktec after five years. This is one of the premier events in our business calendar and is a must-attend for us. Together with our global bottling partners we use drinktec to explore the latest developments and emerging technologies in areas such as supply chain, manufacturing, digital transformation and sustainability, and look for opportunities to transform our business. The event this year is better than ever.”

For drinktec Director Petra Westphal and her team, the customers’ feedback is more than positive: “The preparations for this year’s event really were something of a rollercoaster ride. The effects of the pandemic and geopolitical tensions have resulted in volatile framework conditions and uncertainties. And suddenly the first trade fair day is there. The world meets here with us in Munich after five years. The joy of getting together again is indescribable. The challenges of the day are intensively discussed and solutions are presented at all of the stands – the industry’s future is being shaped here.”

The next drinktec will be held in fall 2025. The exact date will be announced in plenty of time.

The organisers of the Juice Summit announced the postponement of the Juice Summit 2020 organised for the 14 & 15 October 2020 in Antwerp, Belgium.

The Juice Summit will come back in 2021 for a special edition. Information will be given in due time, but you can already save the date 6&7 October 2021.

Over 30 international journalists from 20 countries attended the Geisenheim Conference on Climate Change

A Media Summit with a strong international attendance took place in Geisenheim on November 21, 2019. The Summit featured the publication of the third ProWein Business Report on the special topic of climate change, prepared by Hochschule Geisenheim University. Over 30 journalists from 20 countries attended nine presentations by international speakers on the effects of climate change on the wine industry, as well as adaptation and sustainability strategies. Two Geisenheim professors Prof. Dr. Hans Reiner Schultz and Prof. Dr. Claudia Kammann kicked things off by addressing the causes and existential significance of climate change for humankind.

In a live stream from Australia, Prof. Dr. Markus Herderich and Dr. Mardi Longbottom from the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) reported on the impact of climate change on Australia’s wine industry, the adaptation strategies that have been in place there since 1980, as well as Australia’s sustainable wine-growing program. The presentation of the ProWein Business Reports on Climate Change by Prof. Dr. Simone Loose was streamed as a webinar to journalists worldwide. In underlining the significance of the report, Loose said: “this is the first time the ProWein Business Report has quantified the extent to which the various players in the international wine industry have already been affected by climate change, the comprehensive measures that have been taken to respond to it, as well as those that will be necessary in the future.”

Dr. Cristina Carlos from the Association for the Development of Viticulture in the Douro Region (ADVID) gave a very vivid account of the extent to which the winegrowers in Portugal are already suffering from water shortages and heat stress and the adjustments that are currently being made in order to sustain winegrowing in the region. Dr. Lukas Egarter Vigl of EURAC Research in Bolzano gave a talk on the systematic shift by South Tyrolean winegrowers to higher and cooler vineyards. Dr. Hervé Hannin from INRA Montpellier said France is thus far the only country to have systematically discussed local strategies for adapting to climate change with its winegrowers, which it intends to transform into a national strategy. The ecological sustainability of the wine industry was the focus of the two concluding lectures. Marcus Ihre from Systembolaget explained the role sustainability standards play in the purchasing of wines by the Swedish state-run retailer monopoly for alcoholic beverages,and how these standards are set and monitored. Keith Ulrich highlighted the fact that Fair’n Green is the only German standard in the wine industry to date to encourage members to make continuous improvements in all three areas of sustainability. As a member of Fair’n Green, winegrower Jochen Schmidt from the Palatinate region spoke about the measures he has successfully taken to make his winery CO² neutral.

The three-day Media Summit was rounded off by a tasting of sustainable wines presented by Stuart Piggott and Paula Sidore in the Geisenheim wine cellar, a tour of the Geisenheim FACE facility, a dinner at Schloss Vollrads, a demonstration of steep-slope viticulture in the Assmannshausen domain and a visit to the Steinberg cellar.

Experts will discuss both current and future opportunities for the food industry

Fi Europe & Ni is not only the most important trade show for food and beverage ingredients, it’s also the largest industry platform for information and education. These two events offer the chance to network with the best minds in the industry, explore new market potentials and catch up with the most current industry innovations: The Future of Nutrition Summit will offer the opportunity to network, engage in debate and be inspired by pioneers from within and beyond the F&B industry on 2 December. During the exhibition on 3 and 4 December, the Fi Conference agenda provides a top-class programme exploring cutting-edge innovations and the most current industry solutions.

More than 300 thought leaders and experts from industry, market research and academia will share their knowledge and discuss current topics at the Fi Conferences.

The Future of Nutrition Summit will take place at the Novotel Roissy, the day before the show opens, and is aimed at decision makers from R&D, marketing, brand management, retail and public healthcare. The main focus will be on developments that will shape the industry during the next five years and beyond. After “Open Innovation: Reshaping the Food Systems of Tomorrow,” the afternoon will offer attendees the choice between a stream on sustainable food systems and one providing insights into new food technologies. The speakers will include

• Albert Meige, CEO of the open innovation platform Presans: “Get Ready to Sail The Winds of Disruption”
• Prof. Dr Alexandre Mathys, Sustainable Food Processing, ETH Zurich: “In Search of a Circular Economy: Novel Protein Sources to Tackle Food System Challenges”
• Udi Lazimy, Global Sourcing and Sustainability Director, JUST: “Food Innovation Begins with Breakfast”

The Fi Conference takes place during the first two days of the show and is dedicated to tackling current challenges and identifying immediate opportunities for the F&B industry. In the Discovery Theatre on the exhibition floor, keynote presentations, lectures and discussions on clean label, plant-based ingredients, healthy and functional ingredients, as well as reduction and reformulation, are on the agenda. At the same time, four master classes will concentrate on dairy, beverages, bread & bakery, and confectionery & snacks. Speakers include

• Dr. Emilia Nordlund, Research Leader VTT: Hybrid Ingredients with High Functionality for Plant-based Foods
• Eran Blachinsky, CEO, Better Juice: Better Juice: Naturally Reducing Sugar from 100 % Fruit Juices
• Christian Kalk, Founder of Life Science-Based Innovations: Is it Safe? Regulatory Clearance of Innovative Foods and Ingredients”

More information and tickets for the Future of Nutrition Summit and the Fi Conference: www.figlobal.com/fieurope/conferences.

The IFU (International Fruit and Vegetable Juice Association) has, once again, awarded one company from the juice industry and one person for his long standing active support of the juice industry: Tetra Pak received the “IFU Award for Innovation” for their production concept solution combining UV and filtration technology, Mr. Hans Jürgen Hofsommer received the “IFU Award for Significant Contribution”. Both awards were presented during this years` Juice Summit Gala Dinner in Antwerp, Belgium.

Mr. Hans Jürgen Hofsommer is the founder of GfL laboratory in Berlin, dedicated to serving the juice industry with expert analysis. He has been a long standing member and supporter of IFU being the Methods of Analysis (MAC) chair in the 1980’s and 1990’s developing the extensive catalogue of IFU methods of analysis. He truly is a dedicated contributor to the juice industry.

Maria Norlin accepted the award on behalf of Tetra Pak and gave the worlds` first presentation on this technology combining UV and filtration at the IFU Technical Workshop in Athens earlier this year.

Maria Norlin has worked at Tetra Pak Processing Systems since 2008 across different areas of expertise, such as technical product management within Mixing, Blending, Dosing, as well as product management within Heating.

Maria is currently leading a team of food technologists and product managers responsible for developing and managing the Tetra Pak JNSD Processing Portfolio and technology expertise. She has a Master of Science in Chemical Biology, with a focus on Bioprocess Engineering from Linköpings University, Institute of Technology in Sweden.

Tetra Pak`s technology utilises sterile filtration in conjunction with heat processing for juice, nectar and still drinks which reduces energy consumption by 2/3rds.

The conference provides a genuine and dynamic forum for all industry players and their suppliers

Antwerp, Belgium – 1&2 October 2019 – Hilton Antwerp 4

Organised by AIJN, IFU and SGF, the Juice Summit is now a global, annual conference which guarantees the presence of renowned industry leaders and experts of the European and international juice industries. Over the years it has become a key conference delivering exceptional insights in important topical dossiers as well as providing a unique networking opportunity.

The Summit is a two-day conference with presentations and panel discussions covering a wide variety of topical issues which determine the business environment of today, as well as challenges for tomorrow. The speakers and panelists will also share their understanding and vision of the future for the fruit juice industry with participants. Key policy fields like CSR, health and nutrition as well as insights on global market developments will be on the programme. This year the organiser have the honor of having 3 prominent keynote speakers :

• James Quincey, CEO & President of Coca Cola
• Prof Jan Rotmans from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
• And Marius Robles, Co-Founder of FOOD BY ROBOTS

With over 550 participants from over 40 countries, the conference takes place in the most exclusive venues in Antwerp. All practical information and registration process can be found via the following link : www.juicesummit.org