Earlier this month, The Coca-Cola Company announced a bid of US$2.4 billion to acquire China's largest juice manufacturer Beijing Hui Yuan Beverage & Food Group Corp. The growing fruit/vegetable juice market in China shows great potential for beverage and packaging manufacturers alike.
Packaging for fruit/vegetable juice in China is at nearly 22 billion units, and it is forecasted to grow by 94% from 2007 to 2012, which translates into growth of over 20 billion units. On the other hand, the US market already stands at nearly 9 billion units less than China, and it is projected to decline by 10%. Specifically for the Chinese market, PET bottles show some of the healthiest signs for growth in both percentage and actual terms. PET bottles for fruit/vegetable juice in China are expected to rise by 117% with a growth of nearly 15 billion units. These bottles comprised 58% of total fruit/vegetable juice packaging in 2007, and that is expected to rise to 64% by 2012.
