| Marketing relationship B2B | Products Fruit preparations, fruit juice concentrates, not-from-concentrate juices, fruit wines, natural flavours and beverage bases | Raw materials processed Fruits (leading raw material for fruit preparations: strawberry; raw materials for fruit juice concentrates: apples and berries) |
| Key markets Marketed worldwide | Customers Dairy, ice cream, bakery, food service and beverage industries | Special strengths Custom-designed, innovative products |
Fruit segment revenue in 2024|25 grew to € 1,630.4 million, or by 4.1% from the previous year. In the fruit preparations business, revenue increased slightly, driven both by prices and volumes. Revenue in the fruit juice concentrate operations was significantly higher year-on-year for price reasons. The Fruit segment was responsible for 46.4% of Group revenue (previous year: 41.4%).
The segment’s EBIT was € 99.7 million (previous year: € 60.2 million). EBIT in 2024|25 included negative net exceptional items of € 2.0 million, primarily for reorganisation measures in the fruit preparations business. In the previous year, impairment totalling € 24.7 million had been recognised on assets in Asia (amid severe deterioration of the market environment) and in Hungary (due to closure of the carrot processing plant). Details on exceptional items are given in the Fruit segment report in the full version of the annual report 2024|25. In fruit preparations, operating profit before exceptional items was significantly above the year-ago level. The improvement was attributable especially to a positive operating performance in the Europe region (including Ukraine), Mexico and Australia. Performance in the fruit juice concentrate business was also very positive, almost matching the very good pre-exceptionals operating profit of the previous year. Thus, in the 2024 campaign, the sales contracts for apple juice concentrate in particular were concluded at very good contribution margins.
Further details on the results of the Fruit business are provided in the segment report in the full version of the annual report.
The troubled global economic situation and multiple crises are dampening the market trend for fruit yoghurts (which constitute the main market for the products of the fruit preparations business). Analyses by Euromonitor in March 2025 showed a stagnating global market for the 2024 calendar year (with a growth rate of 0.1% compared to 2023). While the size of the fruit yoghurt markets decreased in Asia (–3.5% p.a.) and Western Europe (–1.0% p.a.), volumes increased in North America (+1.3% p.a.), Eastern Europe (+0.7% p.a.) and Latin America (+1.2% p.a.). A similar global market situation is expected for the 2025 calendar year, with only a mildly positive growth rate of 0.7% compared to 2023. Average annual volume growth of 1.3% in the subsequent years is forecast to the end of 2029. The niche category of plant-based yoghurt alternatives showed volume growth of 1.4% in the 2024 calendar year. This market segment is expected to grow at an average rate of 4.3% per year in the longer term up to and including 2029.
Besides yoghurt, the main market segments significant to the diversification of the fruit preparations activities are ice cream and food service. According to Euromonitor (March 2025), the global ice cream market expanded by a slight 0.7% in the 2024 calendar year and is projected to accelerate somewhat to a growth rate of 1.3% in 2025. Average annual volume growth of 1.8% is then expected for the remaining period to 2029. In the food service segment, the most important markets served by AGRANA are quick service restaurants (QSR) and coffee & tea shops. Current forecasts from GlobalData predict a positive volume trend in these subsegments to 2029, with average annual growth of 3.4% for QSR and 3.7% for coffee & tea shops.
The market environment for fruit preparations is determined by consumer trends in the global markets for dairy products, ice cream and food service. The main market-driving trends are pleasure, affordability, naturalness, sustainability and health. Consumers are reacting to the persistent crises by focusing more on their own needs. They seek authentic, enriching experiences and are more adventurous in their food and drink choices. In the food service space in particular, this is leading to a steady increase in creative and specialised beverage concepts. Consumers in this sector are increasingly willing to pay premium prices for unique beverage experiences. Food service is therefore an important and growing market for AGRANA Fruit, complementing the retail product market.
The fruit juice concentrate business continues to navigate two opposing trends – that towards not-from-concentrate 100% juices on the one hand, and that towards lower fruit juice content in beverages on the other. Thus, there is growing demand for beverage bases with a reduced fruit juice content. AGRANA addresses this trend with its strategic emphasis on the increased production of beverage bases and natural aromas.
In the 2024 apple campaign, a substantially lower volume of raw material was processed compared to the previous year, at historic high apple prices. The delivery volumes of apple juice concentrate and market demand were very satisfactory, due in part to the high prices of orange juice concentrate. The volumes of product from the 2024 apple campaign were contracted with very good contribution margins. Additional demand for apple juice concentrate is expected in the second quarter of the 2025 calendar year due to early contract call-offs.
Sales volume and revenue in the value-added business continued to follow a very positive trajectory and higher contribution margins were achieved than in the prior year.
In 2024|25, about 359,000 tonnes of raw materials were purchased for the fruit preparations activities (previous year: 336,000 tonnes). The increase in raw materials used was due to higher sales volumes in Europe, China and South Africa. The average raw material prices for fruits and ingredients were down slightly overall from a year ago.
The global requirement of approximately 53,000 tonnes of strawberry, the most important fruit by volume in the fruit preparations business, was contracted at slightly lower prices than in the year before. In the fourth calendar quarter of 2024, harvesting began in the production regions with a Mediterranean climate – Egypt, Morocco and Mexico. Due to the continuing high demand for fruit, prices for the current crop year are expected to rise.
The second most important fruit by processing volume for fruit preparations was peach, at around 19,000 tonnes. Crop yields were good in the main European procurement markets of Spain and Greece as well as in China, with purchase prices lower than in the prior year. Sour cherry and blueberry yields in the European growing regions were below expectations, resulting in higher raw material prices.
In tropical fruits, purchase prices for pineapple were up from the previous year due to unfavourable weather conditions and the resulting lower availability of the fruit. The volume requirement for mango was contracted slightly below the year-earlier prices.
The 2024 apple harvest in the fruit juice concentrate business was significantly poorer than in the previous year. There was frost damage not only to apples, but also to “coloured fruits”, especially blackcurrants, raspberries and sour cherries. Despite difficult conditions, production at the Ukrainian site was maintained.
Capital expenditure in the Fruit segment in 2024|25 totalled € 52.0 million (previous year: € 50.8 million). The various investment projects across all 38 production sites represented primarily capacity expansions, modernisation of packaging plants, and safety upgrades. The following individual investments were made, among others:
