Juice Africa opens today in Cape Town

8 Apr 2014

Juice Africa 2014, the continent's only gathering dedicated solely to Africa's juice segment will run from 8-10 April at the Radisson Blu, Waterfront Hotel, in Cape Town. The event brings together stakeholders from across Africa and the globe to analyse what is driving juice consumption around the continent. The fruit and vegetable Juice market is growing in South Africa by over 3% and, by 2017, this market is forecast to reach 538 million litres.

"With a population of over one billion, Africa represents a huge opportunity for the company to enhance and expand its presence in one of the fastest growing markets for our business globally," said Terence Hobson, MD, Sidel Packaging Systems, South Africa. "With its promising economic outlook, aggressive infrastructure development, population growth and stable political situation, Africa is one of the best places in the world for us to present our innovative solutions which address evolving market needs."

Hobson, a speaker at the conference, will discuss the potential for African consumers to benefit from innovative packaging solutions in the juice drinks market. Africa is witnessing an emergence of 'middle-class' consumers, with greater expendable income, heightening the demand for more sophisticated products. As a result, many well-known brands are becoming more readily available throughout the continent.

"Africa is presently growing at much faster economic rates than many of the well-established developed countries, offering potential for significant growth in the liquid packaging market. We recognise these trends and aim to engage our experience, global expertise and strong market position, to enable active knowledge transfer and introduce the most innovative solutions for the various stakeholders connected with this line of business."

Africa is one of the largest growing zones in the world for its business. According to Euromonitor statistics, 64 billion units were sold last year in the Greater Middle East and Africa Zone, among which 19 billion (around 30%) were in PET material.

In recognition of the growing significance of the Middle East and Africa regions, the company recently invested in significant structural changes to establish the Greater Middle East and Africa Zone. With its headquarters in Dubai UAE, and an existing branch office in Johannesburg, the GMEA Zone headquarters are now home to over 90 employees.

Sidel, a global provider of liquid packaging solutions, provides optimal PET packaging solutions for water, soft drinks, milk, sensitive products (juice and nectars), edible oils and alcoholic beverages including beer. It offers customers flexible and reliable production systems that are easily adaptable to market developments and future technology, supported by value-added services.