How much juice have publishers made? When they hear it, they will want to get up from their office chair and go to the forest.

The extraction and sale of juices is widespread not only in Lithuania, but also in neighboring countries, Poland, Latvia or Belarus. But can a short-term juicing business be profitable?
Interest is growing

According to Aidas Pivoriūnas, Director of the Private Forest Owners Association (PMSA), there is now great interest in juice in Lithuania as more and more people pay attention to health and natural products. Thus, both private and state foresters are receiving interest or inquiries from the population and there are initiatives to invest in industrial sap extraction, according to the report.

According to him, Polish and Finnish industrial juice producers were even interested and turned to Lithuanian forest owners for raw materials.

“We take juice production in a very positive way, because any activity in the forests, which generates additional income without depleting nature, is welcome. This is one of the ecosystem services, the concept of which is also popularized by the European Union ”, said A. Pivoriūnas.

According to him, in the past no one could have imagined that this would be the development of the forest mushroom or berry industry. Therefore, natural products such as juices, brooms, herbs, honey will always be relevant; it is important to learn how to market them correctly.

“All products have their own life cycle. The juice was once seen as a relic of Soviet times, so for a time this drink was unnecessarily forgotten. The juice could boldly be a national drink, “said A. Pivoriūnas.

In Lithuania, competition is increasing

According to Gintaras Didžiokas, director of UAB Straikas, a company that produces juice products, there are no other natural products in the spring, so collecting juice is a great way to earn money. Lithuanian farmers and juice suppliers are interested in long-term cooperation, the possibility of supplying juice every year.
“Currently, 10 suppliers supply us with birch juice. At the beginning of the activity, there were not enough people capable of delivering large quantities of juice. Now this problem no longer exists, because the suppliers have grown with us, they have gained more experience, we trust in them. The number of people who want to supply juice is increasing every year, “said Gintaras Didžiokas.

The director says that the wholesale market price to buy juice is around 0.20 euros per liter. However, it can vary from supply, year, personal agreements with the buyer. A well-functioning forest owner or farmer can earn up to $ 20,000 per season. euros. Another nuance, if larger amounts of juice can be allowed in the forest, it increases the value of that forest. This requires a lot of mature birch or maples. These have been trees for over 30 years. This can allow up to 100 years of juice and only then cross the wood.

“I know forest owners who wanted to cut down the forest. But when they realized that they could still earn money from the juice, they would not interbreed for 3 years or more,” says G. Didžiokas.

Ramūnas Bučelis, who has been extracting birch sap in the Ignalina district for three years, says that the idea of ​​starting a small-scale seasonal business and supplying raw birch sap came about by accident.

“Dad has been developing a small organic farm for many years, so trying to get another natural product was curious and interesting. This is how we started to cooperate with the company we supply juice to until now,” said R. Bučelis.

Juice collection – as therapy

R. Bučelis says that it is important to follow all requirements related to juicing and sustainability principles. As the entire farm is organic, the forest is also certified by Ekoagro during the season, which verifies the entire process: if the equipment through which the juice flows is organic or suitable for food. Ekoagra is inspected every spring and the forest area is inspected.

“The forest area occupies several hectares and the dominant trees are birches. Thus, without deforestation during the season, up to 20 tons of juice are extracted. This amount is optimal in terms of forest area, sap collection and transport capacity.

In addition, we collect the juice manually. After drilling the hole, a food hose is inserted, which makes the traveler turn into a closed container. So everything is fine and the tanks change every day. After collecting the right amount of juice, the containers are sealed and transported to the customers, ”said R. Bučelis, who is dedicated to juice extraction.

According to him, working in the third year also leads to a better understanding of the market. Now there is more knowledge, but extracting small amounts of juice and selling it as a raw material will not bring big profits. It is a small seasonal company that we love. Juice season has started, so being in the woods is like therapy, especially during quarantine.

The names of the people and at what prices the juice is sold on the market: from 1 to 1.5 euros per liter of birch juice and up to 2 euros per liter – maple juice. It is generally sold in 1-2 liter containers.

You couldn’t survive on juice alone

R. Biekša, in cooperation with forest owners, has been in the birch sap extraction business for more than 5 years.

“Initially, I supplied the juice to farmers markets, then it was possible to deliver larger quantities to Straik, which produces juice drinks. Recently, there has been an increase in the consumption of natural products, so the number of competitors in the sector of juicing increases every year, ”said R. Biekša.

According to interlocutors, short-term extraction of raw juice alone certainly could not fully survive. So it is just a small seasonal business, and it is mainly run by farmers who have a nearby forest or forest owners. To make money from it throughout the year, you would have to create juice products and trade not only in the spring, but throughout the year.

According to R. Bučelis, the juice business is more popular in Latvia. There, small entrepreneurs, who grow and have their own forest, often create and sell their products from juice: they make syrups and even champagne.

Popular in Asia

According to Aidas Pivoriūnas, juice extraction in Lithuania is not fully used. In Lithuania, juice consumption is growing, but as in some Asian countries, where the cult of healthy lifestyle and the use of natural goods are promoted, the popularity of juice is growing in geometric progression. Therefore, exporting juices to Asian countries can be one of the business niches.

According to the Straiko director, only a third of its production remains in Lithuania.

“We are one of the largest producers of juice drinks in Europe. On average, we collect around 1,000 tons of juice per year. We pour it into almost 4 million bottles. A third is on the Lithuanian market and the rest is exported. We sell mainly in Poland and Germany. In Europe, our juices can be found in Belgium, Holland, UK, France and other countries. We also export juice drinks to the Asian market: Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, “he said. G. Didžiokas.

Europeans consume 5 liters a year

Based on 2019 According to statistics, Europeans drink more juice. It is estimated that a person drinks about 5 liters a year. Second is North America, where a person consumes about 2.5 liters of juice per year. The largest amounts of juice are consumed in all regions by people with higher incomes.

Most of the juice is extracted and its products are produced in Finland, the Baltic States, Poland, as well as Russia, Belarus, Romania, Ukraine, Canada, the United States and China.

According to G. Didžiokas, juice is not a luxury product. It is bought mainly by people who promote a healthy lifestyle or by those who, from a very young age, went to the forest to collect it and they liked it that way. In recent years, sustainable consumption and the choice of natural and healthy products have spread.