CeBev partnered with NewTree Fruit Company to launch grō, a new brand of de-sugared 100% juices created specifically to meet the evolving needs of K-12 school meal programs. "Both CeBev and New Tree realize that schools are being asked to do more than ever when it comes to nutrition—reduce sugar, meet compliance standards, and still provide products students will actually consume," said Sarah Lindberg-Knight, General Manager of CeBev LLC.
New Tree's patented De-Sugaring technology removes naturally occurring sugars—fructose, sucrose, and glucose—from fruit juice while preserving essential nutrients, natural color, flavor, and acidity.
With this exclusive collaboration, grō is the first brand positioned to offer reduced-sugar, 100% fruit juice boxes to school systems nationwide, and the new juice products are set to become available through participating school meal programs beginning Spring 2026.
De-Sugared Juice Products
grō's Reduced-Sugar 100% Juices Were Made for K-12 Meal Programs
Trend Themes
1. De-sugared Beverage Innovation - A growing availability of de-sugared 100% fruit juices signals potential to disrupt beverage portfolios by decoupling natural fruit flavor from sugar content while retaining nutrients.
2. Nutrition-driven Procurement - K-12 meal program demand for compliant, lower-sugar items is reshaping supply chains and creating room for new vendor models that prioritize nutrient profiles over traditional ingredient formulations.
3. Patented Food Processing Technologies - Advances in targeted removal of specific sugars from whole-food inputs point toward platform technologies that could be licensed across multiple product categories to meet health regulations.
Industry Implications
1. School Foodservice Industry - District meal programs and foodservice operators are positioned to integrate reduced-sugar 100% juices as a means to reconcile regulatory compliance with student acceptance, altering purchasing specifications and menu design.
2. Beverage Manufacturing Industry - Manufacturers with access to de-sugaring processes may reconfigure production lines and product portfolios to offer premium, nutrient-preserving low-sugar beverages as a distinct market segment.
3. Food Technology Licensing - Companies owning patented de-sugaring methods could establish new licensing revenue streams by enabling ingredient suppliers and branded food firms to adopt sugar-targeted processing without rebuilding core R&D capabilities.