New Survey Reveals America's Favorite Orange Juice Brand

While apple juice may be considered the go-to drink for childhood nostalgia, orange juice is undoubtedly the ruler of breakfast-time beverages. Americans started to sip on the juice sometime during the 1920s and according to the editor of the Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andy Smith, orange juice was one of the few products to become a mealtime staple almost as soon as it was released to the public (per the Chicago Tribune).

In the decades since it first caught on as the perfect juice to pair with your pancakes, America's love of the beverage hasn't slowed down. In fact, folks in the U.S. drink an impressive amount of orange juice each year. Per Statista, the U.S. reportedly guzzled down a whopping 741,022,800 gallons of the iconic breakfast drink in 2020. 

But while some may have the luxury of drinking freshly squeezed orange juice each day, most orange juice lovers fill up their glasses with pre-packaged brands. And, according to a Mashed survey of 526 U.S. respondents, one company stands out as a clear favorite.

Tropicana didn't get into the orange juice game until 1947. But when it started selling the drink, the company changed how the industry made orange juice. Anthony T. Rossi, the brand's creator, was the mastermind behind "flash pasteurization." This type of pasteurization method (pasteurization removes germs from juice) involves getting rid of bacteria more quickly to ensure that the orange juice undergoing the heating process doesn't lose any vitamins or flavor. And it seems Tropicana revolutionized its way straight into consumers' hearts. The brand is deemed our survey respondents' number one choice for orange juice with 31.37% of the vote.

In an incredibly close second place is a company that prides itself in its nature-first approach to producing orange juice: Simply Orange. With 30.42% of voters behind it, respondents feel the first product the Simply Beverage company produced just doesn't seem to stack up against Tropicana's taste. 

Following Simply Orange is Florida's Natural, a company based in the heart of the state known for its oranges, with 21.29% of the vote. The orange juice brand that respondents feel has the least to love about it is Minute Maid, with 16.92% of voters behind it. While Minute Maid claims it was the first brand to sell concentrated orange juice, voters think it simply can't compete with its competitors' flavors.