Portuguese company GL S.A. produces and sells fresh fruit juices and smoothies under the 'so natural' brand. Owner Douglas Gilman says that drinking fresh fruit juice is the easiest way to consume the daily portion of fruit. "We have a wide range, we produce both vegetable and fruit smoothies and combinations. For people who prefer a sweeter alternative, we use more fruit. The true 'health freaks' want more vegetables in their juice."
Buyers in Europe and Asia
The juices and smoothies of 'so natural' are mainly sold in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal. "We are also trying to convince other European markets, like Croatia, Germany and Italy. Recently we have also started exporting to Asia. The majority of our products are sold under our own label."
A major advantage is that the juices have an average shelf life thanks to HPP technology, also called pascalization. "The technology has been further improved in recent years, we started with a 21-day shelf life 20 years ago, which has more than doubled now. We were the second company in Europe to invest in machines with HPP technology." Another advantage, according to Douglas, is flavour. "Our juices taste the same as juice you would make at home. They are 100% natural, fresh and healthy. That's why they should be among the fresh fruit and vegetables in the supermarket."
New: almond milk
At Macfrut 2015 in Italy, the product range was presented, and visitors could also taste. "New in our range is almond milk," Douglas notes. "In many drinks containing almonds, the almond content is very low. The almonds in our drink make up nearly a quarter."
