Fruit drinks are non-alcoholic beverages that are obtained by subjecting different types of fruit to certain processes according to a series of rigid standards. They serve as a good source of refreshments.
These products help the body absorb nutrients quickly, without having to digest fibres and other components in whole foods, can reduce the risk of cancer, boost the human immune system, remove toxins from the body, aid digestion, and weight loss.
Though it can be augured that juicing is not healthier than eating whole fruits and vegetables, another school of thought believes that it is better than eating whole fruits and vegetables because one’s body can absorb the nutrients better, and it gives the digestive system a rest from digesting fibre.
With over 200 million citizens, Nigeria’s demand for fruit juice and drink is high. This is because fruit drinks can be used for memorable occasions such as parties, and for relaxation.
The fruit drink and juice market in Nigeria can be segmented into fruit juice and vegetable juice, with fruit juice holding a dominant market share of 59 percent in 2021, and forecasted at $5.7 billion by 2027.
With the increasing knowledge of the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables daily, it is expected that the fruit juice market share will grow at a CAGR of 3.9 percent from 2022-2027.
Another factor that is pushing the demand for fruit juice in Nigeria today is the increasingly hectic lifestyles, which makes it difficult for people to spend time shopping for and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables. This, according to market analysts, is expected to positively influence the Nigerian juice industry during the forecast period of 2022-2027.
This growing demand is also encouraging growth in the market by way of the introduction of different brands into the market. Recently, the uniquely produced Sosa Fruit Drink from Rite Foods, which has almost dwarfed competitors and is acclaimed by consumers to be of high quality, was introduced into Nigeria’s fruit drink segment.
The company also has on its product line, unparalleled products that are the hallmark of distinctiveness in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry and they are available in five flavours including Orange, Apple, Orange Passion, Mango, Mixed Berries, and Cranberry, with an exciting taste.
The fruit drink offers nourishment and has proved to be a market leader in its segment, blazing the trail with tasty variants that help build the body with the required vitamins and minerals, like its orange variant which is a rich source of vitamin C.
It comes with several health benefits for the consumers including acting as an antioxidant to prevent cancer, lowering the risk of kidney stones, serving as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, acting as an antioxidant, and protecting the body against diseases.
For instance, the widely consumed orange fruit drink has also proven to reduce excess cholesterol in the body. With this health benefit, the chances of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke are reduced for consumers of good fruit drinks like Sosa.
The consumer-centric company introduced the new Sosa Fruit drink into the Nigerian market on 31st May 2022, in furtherance of its commitment to constantly refresh consumers with unique brands that satisfy their tastes, and produced in a world-class factory with up-to-date technology, automated with little or no human interference, with artificial intelligence at all phases of the production processes.
This is to ensure the delivery of unrivalled brands that surpasses those of competitors, which according to a market survey, have been exceeded, with the largest market share in the sector it operates.
It has been rejuvenating consumers with its unique flavours, and recently connected with them at the recent Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, as manufacturers and providers of goods and services scrambled for visibility at the Awujale Arena, the venue of the annual festival.
But, the physiological need for food and drinks among consumers made some of these products first choices at the festival as participants went for the premium brands, the most preferred being the three months old Sosa fruit drink introduced into the Nigerian market by Rite Foods, in furtherance of its commitment to constantly refresh consumers with unique brands that satisfy their tastes.
The premium brand which delivers on quality and distinctiveness, reinvigorated participants at the Rite Foods-sponsored Ojude-Oba Festival, thus contributing to the activeness that made the age-long traditional heritage exhilarating.
Commenting on the Sosa brand, Seleem Adegunwa, the managing director of Rite Foods, said the company’s strategy of innovation prompted the introduction of the Sosa fruit drink to meet customers’ demands.
“Our innovative values and the willpower to deliver the best have led to the addition of the well-liked Sosa fruit drink into our brand portfolio, with quality, packaging, sizing, and affordability. It is produced under high ethical standards and hygienic conditions, with the state-of-the-art infrastructure and up-to-the-minute technology to delight and refreshes consumers globally,” Adegunwa said.
On her part, Boluwatife Adedugbe, brand manager, of Rite Foods Ltd, said that the Sosa Fruit Drink is an exceptional brand that guarantees the highest quality products for consumers’ refreshment.
She also said that the company is excited to offer consumers the new range of Sosa fruit drinks that delivers the ultimate refreshment.
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She said that the introduction of the Sosa fruit drink to the market has enabled the pacesetter in the food and beverage industry to prove to be a market leader in the FMCG sector by giving value to communities and consumers with not only refreshing and quality products, but also operating on the highest operational standards on the continent.
“The company’s products have emerged at the heart of innovation, quality, and excellence, which it continues to ride on to ensure it offers consumers the quality satisfaction they deserve,” Adedugbe added.
Another factor that is pushing the demand for fruit juice in Nigeria today is the increasingly hectic lifestyles, which makes it difficult for people to spend time shopping for and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables
While the Sosa fruit drink is fast becoming the preferred choice of consumers nationwide, other arrays of brands on Rite Foods’ product line include the award-winning 13 variants of Bigi carbonated soft drink that have continued to consolidate the company’s market dominance in the beverage sector of Africa’s largest economy.
Other brands include its sausages consisting of Rite Spicy, Bigi Beef, and Rite Sausages, Bigi Premium Table Water, and the first-ever packaged polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle brands for the award-winning Fearless Red Berry and Fearless Classic.
Recently, Bigi Cola, another brand of the Bigi variants won the ‘The Fastest Growing Cola Brand of the Year,’ at the Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards held in Lagos The award was in recognition and celebration of its odyssey and sterling performance in its segment over the last one year.
The Bigi sausages also emerged as ‘The Fastest Growing Sausage Brand of the Year,’ at the Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards, together with the ‘ECOWAS Sausage Roll Snack Manufacturing Company of the Year at the ECOWAS Manufacturing Excellence Award.
Beyond its market leadership, the company has also been giving back to society through its various corporate social responsibility initiatives. For instance, Bigi has been at the forefront of promoting worthy initiatives in various sectors including sports and entertainment, like the sponsorship of the international franchise musical talent discovery platform, the Nigerian Idol, for young Nigerian artists who are keen on becoming superstars.
It sponsored the movie premieres of the ‘Prophetess’ as well as the ‘Progressive Tailors Club’ in 2021, in Lagos and Ibadan in Oyo State. It partnered with Silverbird Cinema Group to make movie viewing more exciting for movie-lovers to watch their favourite films with Bigi refreshments.
In line with this, the Fearless energy drink sponsored the Brotherhood blockbuster movie as a move towards promoting the growth of the movie and entertainment sector, like Bigi.
It also threw its weight behind the Max Live show in May 2021, for young Nigerian artistes to become superstars in the country and globally, and powered the 2021 edition of Felabration, a one-week event held in commemoration of the late Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, with the presentation of the first posthumous award presented Fearless to the music icon.
