The refrigerated juices and drinks category includes orange, apple, cranberry, grape, blended fruits and other flavors. Lemonade and vegetable drinks also fall under this umbrella. In the 52 weeks ended April 15, total sales in the category were $4.4 billion, an increase of 0.9%. Unit sales fell 2.8% to 1.55 billion. The only bright spot in the category was an average price increase of 11 cents. The data come from SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago.

Although it slipped in both dollar sales and unit sales (down 1% and 6% respectively), the average price per unit in the orange juice category was up 14 cents in the period. In this $2.5 billion category, No. 6 Minute Maid (owned by Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co.) posted triple-digit increases in both dollar sales, up 155% to $65.3 million, and unit sales, up 211%. Others posting dollar sales gains were: No. 4 Florida’s Natural, a division of Citrus World, Lake Wales, Fla. (11%); No. 9 Johanna Foods’ Tree Ripe, Flemington, N.J. (9%); and No. 7 Minute Maid Premium Kids(5%). No. 1 Tropicana Pure Premium (owned by PepsiCo) was down 9% in dollar sales to $744 million.

In the $698 million fruit drink category, dollar sales for No. 1 Tropicana’s Trop50 were up 17% to $125 million; unit sales were up 12%. Gains were not as strong for No. 2 Minute Maid Premium where dollar sales were up 0.2% to $124 million. No. 10 Millennium Products’ GTS Kombucha Synergy, Beverly Hills, Calif., posted a 55% increase in dollar sales and a 58% increase in unit sales. Not faring as well was No. 4 Cincinnati-based Sunny Delight: dollar sales were down 14% and unit sales fell 21%.

Lemonade

In the lemonade category, No. 6 Trop50— launched last summer — is quickly gaining ground. Dollar sales were up 1,120% to $17 million and unit sales were up 1,106%. Other brands seeing dollar sales increases in the $359 million category were: No. 10 Tropicana(15%); No. 3 Turkey Hill, Conestoga, Pa. (13%); and No. 4 Newman’s Own (9%). Dollar sales were down 45% for No. 9 Minute Maid and 16% for both No. 5 Simply Limeadeand No. 2 Minute Maid Premium.